A Forecast

 

Our world will change rapidly and radically in entirely unforeseen ways as soon as we realise the immense value we can derive from our vast photonic resource by imaginatively integrating recent technological advances to effectively harness photonic power.

 

A Way Forward

 

To this end the Photon Harvester approach, like that of the combine harvester, develops individual devices having several functions and producing a number of outputs to significantly increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Innovations in an array of fields are synergised in photonic systems that optimise the required delivery of photons, electrons and heat, primarily using the photons impinging upon them.

This has wide application such as for optical wireless digital communications and power transmission, daylighting, infrared sensing, lidar and radar. But it is the provision of power where it will probably have profoundest impact on sustainable development.

The Photon as Tool not Fuel

This approach is fundamentally distinct from the solar technologies, PV and thermal, made generally available today, which although the Sun delivers us a full toolbox containing photons of much worth, in effect just burn the box unopened.

But by employing recent advances in photonics, nanotechnology and non-imaging optics we can now extract these tools efficiently. And by employing further advances in these and other fields such as photochemistry, photovoltaics, thermionics and thermolysis we can now use these tools efficiently.

 

By synergising these advances in single multifunctional systems, photonic power can be harnessed highly competitively. When technical and commercial factors are fully accounted for the photonic resource can be most effectively harvested by integrating certain technologies within the building envelope.

 

Thereby the realisable value of this resource impinging upon a building can exceed even the very high cost of an equivalent amount of electrical energy.

 

This outcome is wholly unanticipated as it implies a value that is an order of magnitude greater than currently believed and is therefore completely transformative.

The Photonic Factory

This will yield us maximum benefit when our industrial processing facilities are adapted to take advantage of this unprecendented opportunity, due to the intensity of their energy requirement, their ability to utilise power, the sensitivity of their viability to energy costs and the ubiquitous effects industrial processing has on all our lives.

 

This approach will not only substantially reduce the carbon and monetary cost of present industrial processing but will also make viable new ways of processing some discarded and neglected plentiful resources, such as agricultural, domestic and sewage waste, air, seawater, sand and rock to yield valuable materials.

 

It is this that is likely to have the most radical effects as it will directly affect a large proportion of our economy including the power, fuel, water, waste, transport, construction, materials and agricultural sectors, and therefore cause major structural changes to commerce, finance, politics and society.

 

Although these changes should be highly beneficial for us all, in order to ensure that their speed is not too disruptive but rather enables rapid sustainable growth so that we can soon build the future we want, we must work to anticipate and prepare for the consequences of harnessing photonic power.

 

Photon Harvester ltd was set up to aid design, manufacture, application, deployment and dissemination of photonic systems that will help exploit the potential advantages of the ensuing photonic revolution and mitigate its disruptive effects for the great benefit of all.

Barry Clive

 

While this site is in the course of construction comments would be most welcome by

BarryClive@PhotonHarvester.com