The Grey Area of Cloud Seeding

The contents of the Earth Sphere are murky, and despite Silas and Munro’s best efforts, they cannot see what lies behind the thin turbid veil that lies within. Though the activity they experienced earlier with the Sphere has captured their imagination, they are unaware of its purpose or origin.

While the murkiness inside the Earth Sphere represents the planet’s failing health in OurGlass, in the future a particular type of clouded atmosphere could benefit life on Earth and help to resist the negative effects of climate change. Cloud seeding using seawater  increases the density of clouds and their reflective capability of sunlight called, albedo. The theory proposes that salt crystals injected into the cloud would increase its “brightness,” reflecting sunlight away from Earth. Cloudseeders would patrol the ocean spraying saltwater into the air and thicken the clouds to produce the desired effect. Entrepreneur and billionaire Bill Gates has even thrown his hat into the ring, agreeing to help fund a company called Silver Lining, a geoengineering company that will conduct an ocean test using 10 ships to spray seawater as high as 3,000 feet.

Cloud seeding emerged after the Second World War with the testing of silver iodide to help produce rainfall. Obvious problems can occur when water shed in one area was naturally intended for another. Techniques such as this could be seen as hostile depending on who your neighbours are and a treaty was developed to avoid this type of problem from occurring. The safest bet would be to not have to resort to these modifications, but it’s ideas such as these that could be implemented to offset the negative conditions of climate change and allow life to thrive here on Earth. Hopefully our best scientific minds can stay ahead of the process and succeed for all our benefit.

From Plasma to Plants

Silas and Munro become enthralled by the Earth Sphere when a storm cell courses through its interior. The result is the transference of static electricity into their arms as they hold it, causing their hair to stand on end. Silas likens the Sphere to, “a gizmo from a collector’s shop,” (plasma ball) he’s seen while passing by a store-front window. Munro isn’t buying into his theory though, and is positive the Sphere is more than just a few decades old and is meant for a specific, larger purpose.

Henry Ford envisioned a future when fuel for his automobiles would be produced by plants and slowly begin replacing fossil fuels. Ethanol has been used as a fuel additive for many years with Brazil having the largest national fuel industry for the product. Since 2007, a company named Joule Unlimited, out of Massachusetts, has developed something that captures the essence of Henry Ford’s vision with a twist; a plant that sweats diesel. Joule Unlimited has designed a tiny, gene-altered organism that uses the process of photosynthesis to create liquid fuel. After a few days of growth, a genetic switch is flipped and the plant’s energy is directed to create fuel (or any other chemical the company wants to create) which is then later sent to a separator and storage tanks. After a few weeks, the plants become depleted, are removed, and the process is started from scratch. The beauty of this system is in its simplicity. The only inputs required (besides construction of a facility) are sunlight, and our most infamous greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (plants eat CO2, remember?) Commercial production of its fuel could begin in Texas as early as 2012.

This is biofuel at its brightest and most ingenious and its only 2010. Humanity’s only barrier is its imagination and our ability to put it to good use. One can only imagine what greater solutions will be discovered by 2050.

The Energy Future Is Now

Silas and Munro risk their lives to recover an object they see on the rocks at Peggy’s Cove. Little do they know the secret they’re about to uncover is the Earth Sphere. Someone is watching them though and soon their lives may be in danger.

In an earlier post, I mentioned tidal power as a large provider for future energy needs. But no single source is a panacea. In the future, energy will be created at a hyper-local level. One company that shares this vision for the future is Bloom Energy. Its Energy Server fuel cell creates, stores, and distributes electricity at a customer’s site by means of an electro-chemical process. Bloom Energy claims that a few of its energy stacks (each about the size of a loaf of bread) can provide enough energy to power an average home.

As electric companies allow consumers to return their surplus electricity to the grid, homes using this on-site technology, in conjunction with inverters, have the potential to provide excess amounts of electricity by today’s standards. As technological availability increases (and with it, higher electricity demands), society will need efficient and cleaner energy to maintain a sustainable lifestyle for all.

The Eye of Mediterranea

While at Peggy’s Cove, Silas sees a boat unlike any other approach the coastline. This is The Eye of Mediterranea, a futuristic sailboat that has crossed the ocean in hopes of finding the Earth Sphere. It’s owner and captain is Khai Mohammed, a disgraced oil producer from the Middle East set on rebuilding his fame and fortune.

Needing to discover a boat that would be suitable for such a crossing, I Googled “futuristic sailboat” and browsed the images that came up. While many of the boats were very exotic looking, I wanted to find a model that truly stood out. The boat I’ve chosen to describe for my purposes in OurGlass is the Ankida, designed by LILA-LOU LONDON, a yacht design studio. This yacht is visually breathtaking and ecologically forward thinking in its method of capturing the wind to its fullest effect. It’s stunning to watch how the Ankida moves on the water in this animation.

I gave this vessel the name,The Eye of Mediterranea, so the reader knows the great sense of pride Khai has for his homeland. I’ve described the sails on his vessel as emblazoned with the egyptian eye and this yacht would be truly remarkable to see when it approaches. But in this case, it can only happen in your mind’s eye.