POWER POINTS

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE SOMERS RECORD (01-29-26)

    I read that China is developing a pair of huge reactors to harness nuclear fusion, a nascent power source that could possibly change the trajectory of human existence and reverse the effects of global warming. We would be working on that here in America too, but right now we have some other important things to do, like tearing down the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. And before you know it the President will have bigger balls! 

     So what is nuclear fusion? I'll lay it out for you, because it's not exactly rocket science, which I don't understand either. When two atomic nuclei combine to form one heavier nucleus, it releases energy. Think of Taylor Swift's marketing machine joining up Travis Kelce's NFL juggernaut. Producing and tapping the energy is the challenge; you need to warm the atoms to a temperature hotter than the sun, create plasma, and hold it in that state for long enough to channel the power. Pretty much the same stuff Taylor and Travis do on a daily basis. If you succeed though, the rewards include no nuclear waste or possibility of nuclear meltdown as compared to traditional nuclear fission, using a source plentiful on Earth. 

     It turns out that artificial intelligence needs much more power than regular intelligence. All you need for regular intelligence is a nap once in a while, some iron-rich nutrients and several Kit Kat bars, and you can stir up enough brain cells to formulate an idea. There are no guarantees it will be a good one, but at least try. On the other hand, Apple is expected to spend $500 billion on AI data centers in the next four years, and to power them, it's projected that they will use as much electricity as 22 percent of American households. 

     That demand alone is what may be driving an accelerated push to find the next big energy source. Energy can be as simple as Ginger and Mary Ann pedaling a stationary bike to power Gilligan's Island, or it can get quite a bit more complicated. Solar power and wind power are pretty straightforward. But what if it's a cloudy day with no breeze, and Ginger and Mary Ann aren't speaking to each other because Mary Ann hits her head on a rock and gets amnesia and thinks she's Ginger but now she sings better in the talent show so Ginger is jealous? What were we talking about again? Oh yeah- energy. The hydrogen fuel cell is another example of a technology that's on the horizon.

     Fuel cells work by feeding hydrogen molecules through an array of anodes, cathodes and electrolytes, causing the electrons and protons to do a dance almost identical to the "Beer Barrell Polka," which results in the induction of power as well as heat and water. If you think this is a over-simplification, clearly you have never tried to do the "Beer Barrell Polka." 

     Geo-thermal power is an up-and-coming technology that's up and coming right out of the ground. A geo-thermal installation doesn't create power, it simply gives existing systems a head start by sinking a pipe far enough into the Earth to tap the consistent 50-degree temperatures below the surface, heating winter air to a warmer baseline, or cooling summer swelter to the same starting point.

     I have a friend who had solar panels put on his roof that charge an array of batteries to power his home. And whatever power he doesn't use he can sell back to the grid for what seems to me like a paltry amount. I asked him, aren't there any other grids you can sell it to? Shop it around? Maybe sweeten the deal with some coupons or something. I hear that women love a man who has a lot of power. 

     My only problem with that whole idea is that I hate things that run on batteries. They always give out at the most inopportune moments. What if that PSA comes on television, and the batteries for my remote control are out-of-office? You know the PSA, the one with the kid with the shrill voice who just won't give it a rest, who makes me feel guilty for wanting to bust him over the head with a four day-old loaf of Italian bread. Or what if I'm stuck on a desert island, and I only have THREE CD's, which I chose beforehand (Black-eyed peas? I should have spent more time on this) and a plane flies overhead and I don't have enough candlepower in my flashlight to get its attention?

     We tend to take power for granted until something happens and the lights go out. I bought a gas generator for our house that has a pull cord to start it when there's a bad nor'easter. I didn't get the electric-start model NOT because I'm so cheap (as long as I'm not under oath), but because I just KNOW I'd only remember to charge the battery when the power was out and it was too late. Anyway, I only have so many amps to choose from, and I have to decide between the hot tub and heating the house. I think I made the right choice. 

     I remember as a kid seeing a tag on electrical appliances that said "Approved By the Underwriters Laboratories." I imagined that they performed a battery of tests on, well, a battery, perhaps, and when they were done, wrote something under it. Like maybe, "Your battery's okay." Now this service is performed under OSHA, an arm of the Government, which is not reassuring, especially now. But luckily, electrical products undergo much more rigorous testing under the "reviews" section at Amazon.