Core77

[sensory overload]

well i have racked my brains enough...
n thought of looking at energy as a comsumable.
this seems to be a very vast field. i dunno i'm probably thinking of restricting myself to one sector (say a home, or probably one that consumes a lot of energy)...now help me here coz from the rules of the competition it looks like you gotta design a product. can it be a procees?
well i was thinking....now i need to do some analysis her...but it can even be a product that takes care of the other energy intensive processes.

there is another line of thought. i could probably take up one energy intensive product and redesign it such that it reuses some of the energy.

ash

[ykh]

suggest you narrow down into something identifiable you can define and manage.

[edit - removed. on second read think i misunderstood "process". a product that manages a homes energy consumption would be interesting.)

might look at this - http://www.windupradio.com .

"there is another line of thought. i could probably take up one energy intensive product and redesign it such that it reuses some of the energy."

i like the thought. but be wary of making this an engineering project.

[edit - i'll shut up now.]

[abby]

How about forms of energy that already are consumables? Consider batteries, for example--ideally they'll eventually be replaced by something smarter and more renewable, but in the meantime there are a LOT of applications for batteries. Rechargeable batteries exist--why don't more consumers use them? Is there a way to make long-lasting/rechargeable batteries as attractive as a cheap pack of Duracell AA's?

Another thought: focusing on a specific energy use, like energy in the home. (Something I learned recently: despite all the fuss about SUVs, buildings, overall, use up waaaay more energy than cars, overall; a big improvement in building energy-use efficiency would conserve millions of tons of fossil fuels.)

[ykh]

how's it going, s-o?

[rwchristiii]

This is a bit trainofthoughty.
I think it would be hard to improve upon two very common energy consumables: lights and music (sound). In these cases, the energy is used immediately. You can even make copies in photos and tapes. However these energies, photons and motion (vibrating air), are just two of many energies to be consumed. How could we use electricity, gravity, momentum? But as we list the types of energies, we consume them directly all the time:
electricity - medicine, pain,
gravity - bungee jumping, sky diving, skiing, slides,
momentum - moshing, dancing, rollercoasters,
small force - nuclear destruction,
I feel like we in fact consume energy directly so often that we don't even think about it. Most of the time we are taking one type of energy and making it into either electricity or motion - wind, gas, oil, etc. But we actually consume energy in a variety of forms constantly.

hmmm...