|
Tuesday January 22 10:50 AM ET
Irish Inventor Says Cracks World's Energy Needs
By Kevin Smith
DUBLIN (Reuters) - It has been a pipe-dream of inventors since Leonardo da Vinci, but has
the secret of free energy now been found in Ireland?
A cold stone house on a wind-swept Irish hillside may seem an unlikely setting for the
birthplace of such an epoch-making discovery, but it is here that an Irish inventor says he
has developed a machine that will do no less than change the world.
The 58-year-old electrical engineer, who lives in the Irish republic and intends -- for
``security and publicity-avoidance reasons'' -- to keep his identity a secret, has spent 23
years perfecting the Jasker Power System.
It is an electromechanical device he says is capable of nothing less than replenishing
its own energy source.
The Irishman is not alone in making such assertions. The Internet is awash with
speculation about free or ``zero point'' energy, with many claiming to have cracked the
problem using magnets, coils, and even crystals.
``These claims come along every 10 years or so and nothing ever comes of them. They're
all cases of 'voodoo science','' said Robert Park, professor of physics at the University of
Maryland.
The makers of the Jasker -- a name derived from family abbreviations -- say it can be
built to scale using off-the-shelf components and can power anything that requires a motor.
``The Jasker produces emission-free energy at no cost apart from the installation. It is
quite possibly the most significant invention since the wheel,'' Tom Hedrick, the only
person involved with the machine willing to give his name, told Reuters.
Hedrick, chief executive of a company set up with a view to licensing the device in the
United States, said the technology shattered preconceived laws of science.
``It's a giant leap forward. The uses of this are almost beyond imagination.''
RED HOT WITH CONTROVERSY
Not surprisingly, this topic is red hot with controversy -- sharply dividing a world
scientific community still on its guard after the ``Cold Fusion'' fiasco of 1989 when a
group of Utah researchers scandalized the scientific world with claims -- quickly found to
be unsupported -- that the long-sought answer to the problem of Cold Fusion had been
discovered.
Experts contacted by Reuters were wary, citing the first law of thermodynamics which, in
layman's terms, states that you can't get more energy out than you put in.
``I don't believe this. It goes against fundamentals which have not yet been disproved,''
said William Beattie, senior lecturer in electrical engineering at Queen's University in
Belfast, Northern Ireland.
``These people (Jasker) are either Nobel prize-winners or they don't know what they're
dealing with. The energy has to come from somewhere.''
Undaunted, the inventor says that once powered-up, his device can run indefinitely -- or
at least until the parts wear out, adding that he has supplied all his own domestic power
needs free for 17 months.
But he is keen to head off the notion that he has tapped into the age-old myth of
perpetual motion. ``Perpetual motion is impossible. This is a self-sustaining unit which at
the same time provides surplus electrical energy,'' he said.
THE SIZE OF A DISHWASHER
In a demonstration for Reuters, a prototype -- roughly the size of a dishwasher -- was
run for around 10 minutes using four 12-volt car batteries as an initial power source.
Emitting a steady motorized hum, the machine powered three 100-watt light bulbs for the
duration.
A multimeter reading of the batteries' voltage before the device started up showed a
total of 48.9 volts. When it was switched off, a second reading showed 51.2 volts,
indicating that, somehow, they had been reimbursed.
The machine went on to run for around two hours while photographs were taken, with no
diminution in the brightness of the light bulbs, which remained lit during a short power
cut.
``The draw on the batteries was estimated at more than 4.5 kilowatts. With any existing
technology the batteries would have been drained flat in one and a half minutes,'' the
inventor said.
Modern theories of zero point energy have their roots in quantum physics and encompass
the fraught areas of ''anti-gravity machines'' and ``advanced propulsion'' research.
Contributors to the debate range from serious exponents of quantum science to those who
insist free energy secrets have been imparted to them by aliens. Still others seem convinced
the U.S. government is conspiring to suppress such discoveries.
Nick Cook, aerospace consultant to Janes Defense Weekly and author of ``The Hunt for Zero
Point'' is not as quick as some to dismiss the possibilities.
``Zero point energy has been proven to exist,'' he told Reuters. ``The question is
whether it can be tapped to provide usable energy. And to that end, I think it's possible,
yes. There are a lot of eminent scientists now involved in this field and they wouldn't be
if there wasn't anything to it.''
``In my experience opinion in this field is extremely polarized ... people either go with
this area of investigation in their minds or they don't, and if they don't they tend to
pooh-pooh it vehemently. It's very difficult to get an objective assessment,'' he said.
``Basically, no one wants to be the first to stick his head above the parapet.''
Impervious to skepticism, Jasker's makers see the first practical application of their
technology as a stand-alone generator for home use, although the automotive industry could
also be a near-term target given the huge investment in developing substitutes for
gasoline-fueled engines.
With world oil reserves running down, there is mounting urgency in the quest for
alternatives.
If the Jasker men really are onto something, it could be the most important Irish
invention since Guinness.
|
