Edison on renewables (you gotta love Edison...)
Submitted by LindaG on April 14, 2006 - 9:54am.
Previous General Discussions
by way of energybulletin.net
http://energybulletin.net/14927.html
-------------------
Published on 1 Jan 1970 by Roycrofters (via Proj. Gutenberg). Archived on 14 Apr 2006.
Edison on renewables
by Elbert Hubbard
Reader R writes: "The following piece of writing illustrates the views of Mr. Thomas Alva Edison on the alternative energy sources like solar energy, wind energy etc. Just an interesting piece which gives a peek into the mind of the great genius."
Source: Interview in Elbert Hubbard's Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great (Vol. 1 of 14), now in the public domain and available from Project Gutenberg.
The interview apparently took place in 1910. The original has much more on Edison.
... Edison was born in Eighteen Hundred Forty-seven. Consequently, at this writing he is sixty-three years old. He is big and looks awkward, because his dusty-gray clothes do not fit, and he walks with a slight stoop. When he wants clothes he telephones for them. His necktie is worn by the right oblique, his iron-gray hair is combed by the wind. On his cherubic face usually sits a half-quizzical, pleased smile, that fades into a look plaintive and very gentle.
...In the Laboratory, Edison works, secure and free from interruption unless he invites it. Much of his time is spent in the Chemical Building, a low, one-story structure, lighted from the top. It has a cement floor and very simple furniture, the shelves and tables being mostly of iron. "We are always prepared for fires and explosions here," said Edison in half-apology for the barrenness of the rooms.
The place is a maze of retorts, kettles, tubes, siphons and tiny brass machinery. In the midst of the mess stood two old-fashioned armchairs—both sacred to Edison. One he sits in, and the other is for his feet, his books, pads and paper.
Here he sits and thinks, reads or muses or tells stories or shuffles about with his hands in his pockets.
... said Edison as we sat at lunch... "Some day some fellow will invent a way of concentrating and storing up sunshine to use instead of this old, absurd Prometheus scheme of fire. I'll do the trick myself if some one else doesn't get at it. Why, that is all there is about my work in electricity--you know, I never claimed to have invented electricity--that is a campaign lie--nail it!"
"Sunshine is spread out thin and so is electricity. Perhaps they are the same, but we will take that up later. Now the trick was, you see, to concentrate the juice and liberate it as you needed it. The old-fashioned way inaugurated by Jove, of letting it off in a clap of thunder, is dangerous, disconcerting and wasteful. It doesn't fetch up anywhere. My task was to subdivide the current and use it in a great number of little lights, and to do this I had to store it. And we haven't really found out how to store it yet and let it off real easy-like and cheap. Why, we have just begun to commence to get ready to find out about electricity. This scheme of combustion to get power makes me sick to think of--it is so wasteful. It is just the old, foolish Prometheus idea, and the father of Prometheus was a baboon."
"When we learn how to store electricity, we will cease being apes ourselves; until then we are tailless orangutans. You see, we should utilize natural forces and thus get all of our power. Sunshine is a form of energy, and the winds and the tides are manifestations of energy."
"Do we use them? Oh, no! We burn up wood and coal, as renters burn up the front fence for fuel. We live like squatters, not as if we owned the property.
"There must surely come a time when heat and power will be stored in unlimited quantities in every community, all gathered by natural forces. Electricity ought to be as cheap as oxygen, for it can not be destroyed.
"Now, I am not sure but that my new storage-battery is the thing. I'd tell you about that, but I don't want to bore you..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editorial Notes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seems to be a genuine interview.
Author Elbert Hubbard is an intriguing figure in American history. He is famous for his inspirational work, A Message to Garcia. He founded Roycroft, an Arts and Crafts movement community in East Aurora, NY, as well as Roycroft Press.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Hubbard was a very popular writer and lecturer, part entrepeneur, part social reformer, part humorist. He and his wife died in the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915.
Wikipedia
Autobiography
Entry in history of Buffalo
Thanks for the intriguing bit of history, Reader R.
-BA
"This scheme of combustion to get power makes me sick to think of--it is so wasteful."
And no, I'm afraid I haven't gotten the chance to look for a second source on the story.
I've also recently heard (on one of the recent t.v. documentaries, or news shows, but I've forgotten which) that one of the early car makers were also saying that the combustible engine should be just a stop-gap measure; that we should look to truly sustainable energy sources for any real future use of energy... yes, indeed, ;-)
have been aroung since the 1880's. They actually competed in the marketplace with internal combution cars around the turn of the 20th century. One French company, Pope Manufacuring Company, even made a hybrid in 1898. But alas, just as with VHS and Betamax, the inferior technology won out.
a) combustion to get power..is so wasteful."
early car makers were also saying that the combustible engine should be just a stop-gap measure;
sustainable energy sources for any real future use of energy
b) 1880's .. competed in the marketplace with internal combution cars ..
French company Pope Manufacuring Company even made a hybrid in 1898
c) as with VHS and Betamax the inferior technology won out
Censored technologies and the unknown stories about -
I'll look to see if any of this has been researched and written about
before
those were good for - search terms... this is not enough research it scratches surface..
can read the articles and then source the bibliography and the text for
more search terms.... I read articles for search terms... I survey rather than read
for comprehension until I get to a level of interest then I read for comprehension.
I think some key to help understand how to unlock business potential
might be in a search of ' business compeition in US ' - anti-trust and business competition
in America' ' History of Business competition' and refine it from there
this is a fertile area to release creative imagination and creative energy
in that small search the future topics had an article I found a symposium on AI
going to happen in May at Stanford U.... it is philosophy view point but what
is exciting is cross scholarship experts are going to be exposed to each other
people pushing the envelop... 'Singularity' - Forbes article
Also found that Forbes did a survey of billionaires .. most of them Virgo's :-)
equal portions of depressing political reality with
research that gets my creative juicies going - only way
I can survive emotionally :-) I plan on being in the
plus column when the dark times are finished :-)
Glad you enjoy it - and - I never chatted online
didn't have attraction to it BUT I have had long
email converstations with like minded folk that have
lasted for years... ongoing enjoyable commentary that
inspires two ways..... that has created a new platform for
both sides to advance.... why so vague ? :-) because I
learned that the right question must be very short
to get an answer and I think I must not have asked the
right short question of you yet or there would have been
addtional discussion.... this is the only way I enjoy the
internet - if I can get inspired to do more
any topic - you would like to advance further?
Hybrid Cars - History of Hybrid Vehicles The Pope Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut, built around 500 electric cars over a two-year period. 1898 The German Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, ...
www.hybridcars.com/history.html - 30k - Cached - Similar pages
HyBrid-Car-Central: History of Hybrid Cars The Pope manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut, built around 500 ... 1898-99:. General Electric produced electric cars and built a hybrid with a ...
www.hybrid-car-central.com/History-Hybrid-Car.html - 18k - Cached - Similar pages
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More Excerpts { these links don't work here but they are live - so copy them out
put them in an email to yourself and then they work fine
handy list of books with good excerpts }
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luv this post... an Edison story never read before ... great post
"When we learn how to store electricity, we will cease being apes ourselves;
until then we are tailless orangutans. You see, we should utilize natural forces
and thus get all of our power. Sunshine is a form of energy, and the winds
and the tides are manifestations of energy."
Seems to be a genuine interview. - even if not a qenuine interview it is great..
have you researched Edison's interviews and found a second source.... I'll try a bit tonight when i have some time...
it would have FORCE for sure if authentic