. 

Latent Power Turbines offer seven core benefits 

1. They can run on thermal energy extracted from the atmosphere, the sea or from underground. This will provide us with green power 24 hours a day for as long as humanity remains on Earth.
   Installation costs should be less than £5,000 per family of four and they should last for up to 50 years. There are no running costs apart from an annual service (say £100 per consumer) plus any taxes the government may add.
   
   
2. They can operate at full output 24 hours/day with surplus electricity being used to manufacture hydrogen fuel for transport systems. This will provide carbon free transport fuel.
   Alternatively, if LP Turbines can be shrunk to fit into vehicles, they could be used to power the vehicles directly. The second option is likely to be most attractive in warm climates.
       
3. Heat can be extracted from  hot atmospheric air to provide free cool air ventilation.
   An important asset in our COVID era is that the constant supply of fresh LP Turbine cooled indoor air will be more hygienic than fan or air conditioning systems which rely on blowing stale air around rooms instead of removing it.
   In tropical climates,  air cooling may be their primary function of LP Turbines with electricity being produced as a free by-product.
   
   
4. Finding uses for this surplus electricity will drive innovation in warm climates. 
        
5. The air cooling process will also extract moisture from humid air. Cooling a house for a small family will also deliver sufficient clean water to meet their basic drinking, cooking and hygiene needs.
           
6. Developing countries will be able to leapfrog the national power grid stage of development because all electricity will be generated locally.
   
   
7. Businesses in the developing world could take control of their own power and hydrogen fuel production. This will liberate them from some of the most damaging corruption and bribery problems that they have to face.

Page contents

1        Resource implications

1.1     Low cost, pollution free energy

1.2     ‘Free’ air conditioning

1.3     Low cost hydrogen fuel

1.4     Oil substitutes for chemical feedstock use

1.5     Low cost fresh water for arid regions

1.6     Increasing land values in hot arid climates

1.7     Enriching the soil for crop and tree growth

1.8     Economically important metals and other minerals

1.9     High level nuclear waste

1.10    Rain forests

1.11   New job opportunities for communities left behind by

          globalisation and automation    

1.12 Aviation

1.13 Shipping

1.14 Resilience to cyber attacks, massive solar storms and natural disasters

2 International implications of an LP Turbine (LPT) economy

**********************************

1        Resource implications

1.1       Low cost, pollution free energy

• LP Turbines can run on heat extracted from
  (i) the air around us,
  (ii) the ground underneath us
  (iii) the seas that surround us
  (iv) waste heat produced by industry.
• LP Turbines are very benign.
  No high temperatures, high pressures, toxic chemicals or expensive construction materials are required.
• Depending on their size, power output can vary between several kW and several MW.
• ‘Energy’ accounts for approximately 30% of the production costs of many of the primary products our society depends based on.
  Here are a few examples where we can expect to see a big drop in ‘raw material’ prices:
  t plasticst steel t glass tcementt bricks t building grade sand t prepared food t electronic data storage and processing services.     
• "Power to the people!" 

  A wall or roof mounted LP Turbine the size of a public telephone box mounted on the roof or wall of a house could meet the heating, power and air cooling needs of a family of four. Apart from taxation and servicing there are no running costs. Consequently an LP Turbine would pay for its purchase and installation in about four years.

• A change of focus for environmentalists

  Their focus will change from the daunting task of limiting the environmental damage caused by dirty energy to the more uplifting task of championing the ethical use of cheap clean energy. Left to itself, the free market will take advantage of cheap energy to churn out more plastic goods and other environmentally damaging products. On the other hand, if we plan our future manufacturing and lifestyles wisely, we could be at the start of a new clean planet era. Environmentalists need to be proactive from the earliest days of LP Turbine commercialisation, speaking loudly and campaigning vigorously  to ensure that we do not lose this chance to repair the damage we have done to our planet.

   

1.2       ‘Free’ air cooling

If LP Turbines are run on heat extracted from the air, the air cools as a consequence. This creates a potential icing up problem in cool damp conditions, such as in the UK in winter.

To prevent LP Turbines icing up we could include defrosting cycles, similar to those already used in  heat pump based central heating systems. Alternatively, an electrostatic method of preventing the build-up of ice may be possible.

But in warmer parts of the world, LP Turbines will provide power and free air cooling, for the price of buying a single LP Turbine unit.

Factory working conditions and productivity would improve in hot climates as a free bonus of power generation. [For research evidence of the productivity benefits of cooling hot factory air  visit

: http://www.isid.ac.in/~pu/dispapers/dp14-10.pdf]

1.3       Low cost hydrogen fuel

Hydrogen can be used as a pollution free alternative to petrol and diesel for most of our road vehicle needs. 

 Other forms of transport such as ships and trains could also be adapted to run off hydrogen. But aircraft would need to be completely redesigned because they would probably carry their hydrogen in the fuselage in liquid form.

 1.3.1 Using LP Turbines to manufacture hydrogen.
There are two hydrogen fuel production options. Both involve the passing of an electric current through water to split it into oxygen and hydrogen (electrolysis). The hydrogen then needs to be compressed to a very high pressure so that it is compact enough for storage in vehicle fuel tanks. Compressing the hydrogen produces a lot of waste heat, but this can be used to power LP Turbines. [Several research groups are developing sponge like materials that would allow hydrogen to be stored in fuel tanks at lower pressures.]

FIRST OPTION       (i) Manufacture the gas centrally and on a very large scale.  
(ii) Then replace the natural gas currently distributed via regional gas grids with hydrogen.
(ii) Compress the gas locally at filling stations or on the vehicle users’ premises.
This option has the advantage that the oxygen produced during electrolysis can be used for a range of industrial purposes.

SECOND OPTION Carry out the manufacturing and compression processes locally. This has the advantage that off-peak electricity manufactured by the LP Turbines can be used for manufacturing hydrogen. This option will be of interest to early adopters who want to run a hydrogen powered vehicle in the early days, before a national hydrogen distribution grid is set up.

Fresh or sea water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen. One problem with splitting sea water to produce hydrogen is that chlorine ions corrode the anode. This can be overcome by employing gold or platinum anodes, but these metals are expensive. However, this expense will be offset by a reduction in platinum use elsewhere in the transport market because most internal combustion engines are fitted with catalytic converters which includes between 3 and 7 grams of platinum.

1.3.2 A H₂ Help network for early adopters

This could be a cottage industry for the hydrogen age

Hydrogen powered car owners who have the facility to manufacture their own hydrogen could sell off their surplus fuel. A Smartphone App could link together buyers and sellers with buyers being able to reserve a supply on remote payment of a deposit.

An international network of this type would allow the rapid move to a hydrogen fuel economy, even before a traditional network of refueling stations had been established. 

It would be especially valuable in bringing hydrogen powered vehicles (and farm machinery) to remote villages and hamlets.

1.3.3 Strategies for the petrochemical industry to compensate for the loss of fossil fuel sales

• Manufacture and sell compressed hydrogen from vehicle refuelling stations.
• Lease and service home hydrogen manufacturing and compressing units, charging a small royalty on the hydrogen produced.
• Save costs on running service station chains by developing apps that will link home hydrogen manufacturers who wish to sell with potential buyers.
• Work with all segments of the transport industry, land, sea and air, encouraging them to adopt a similar hydrogen fuel economy model to that developed for road transport.
• Work with other industries, municipal authorities etc to develop a similar model, but with the emphasis on capturing and compressing the oxygen generated as a by-product of hydrogen production. This could be used for example, for the high temperature burning of municipal waste. The virtually pure carbon dioxide could then be captured, compressed and injected into old oil and gas wells owned by the petrochemical companies. Better still, the CO₂ could replace oil as the basic raw material for a new chemicals industry. [See 1.4 below.]
•  Hydrogen could replace natural gas in our existing gas supply networks. https://www.theengineer.co.uk/converting-the-gas-network-to-hydrogen/

But, perhaps there is an even better alterntive

 It may be possible to miniaturise LP Turbines so that they can be incorporated into the structure of cars and other vehicles. This would allow vehicles to run off electricity generated by extracting heat from the surrounding air.  The consequent street level air cooling would be a bonus in hot humid climates, but an irritant on cold city streets. The answer may be hybrid battery and LP Turbine powered vehicles, with the LP Turbines being switched off when driving along streets frequented by pedestrians.

1.3.4 The downside of abandoning oil

LP Turbines will undermine the existing energy markets, potentially causing civil unrest in Middle Eastern and other oil producing countries. There will be a strong desire in some quarters to slow down the transition in order to give people time to adjust. But we will be doing poorer people a greater kindness in the long run if we push through the transition as rapidly as possible. Within a few years, virtually unlimited amounts of cheap clean energy will deliver a high level of prosperity to all nations across the globe. Many examples of how this could happen are given below and elsewhere on this website.

1.4       Oil substitutes for chemical feedstock use

Approximately 20% of oil is used as a chemical feedstock in the manufacturing of plastics, paints, drugs, fertilisers and other products. Synthetic replacements for oil are already available. They will become commercially competitive if the energy component of their manufacturing can be reduced.

One approach that fits in well with LP Turbine technology is based on the use of specially cultivated algae instead of oil as the raw manufacturing material.

Seaweed farms are an alternative source of algae. They have the advantages that they don’t take up any land, oxygenate the sea water, capture CO₂ from the atmosphere and mop up a range of seawater pollutants including micro-plastics.

1.5       Low cost fresh water for arid regions

There is plenty of water in our oceans. The snag is that desalinating sea water is a very energy intensive business. [It requires about 3kWh of electricity to desalinate 1 m³ of sea water.]

Further energy is then required to pump the desalinated water inland.

LP Turbines could reduce the cost of both desalinating the water and then delivering it to the customer.

Please visit our dedicated water purification page for further details.

1.6       Increasing land values in hot arid climates

Arid land has a low economic value. But if LP Turbines are used to ‘green the deserts’, countries ‘blessed’ with arid landscapes would enjoy a sudden increase in the value of their territory.

The bulk of food production could be done indoors under glass, with additional food production and large tracts of forested leisure land being created by greening the deserts.

1.6.1 Features of an arid climate glasshouse

Figure 1. For maximum productivity, glass houses would be used to minimise the loss of water by evaporation. LP Turbines would condense the extracted water vapour so that it can be recycled.

Glazing that keeps the water vapour in also keeps locusts and other insect pests out. This will reduce the amount of pesticides and other chemicals required for food production.

The LP Turbines could provide illumination after dark, making  prolonged day plant growth possible. Combined with optimised growing temperatures, this would approximately double the returns on glasshouse investment.

In extreme climates such as Siberia and the Gobi Desert, the glass houses could be double glazed with an infill of aerogel to maximise thermal insulation. [Mass production and low energy costs will bring down the cost of aerogel.]

Horticultural polythene tunnels or glasshouses?

Polytunnels are less likely to be damaged by flying objects in storms than traditional horticultural glasshouses. But glass is less of a threat to biodiversity and glasshouses may come back into favour in an LP Turbine era, thanks to the availability of very low cost electricity combined with widespread access to cheap desert sand.

Silica sand can be melted at around 2,000^oC to create high optical quality glass with good thermal shock resistant properties.

This would be in competition with conventional soda lime window glass which  is made from a mixture of silica, sodium carbonate and calcium carbonate. Soda lime glass has a lower melting point of around 1,400 – 1,600^oC, keeping manufacturing energy costs down. Both pure silica and soda lime glass will become cheaper thanks to LP Turbines, with the manufacturer having the choice of making either product.

1.6.2 Aeroponics

LP Turbine cooled glass houses would be ideal for the emerging agricultural technique of aeroponics. This method of growing plants promises to maximise the rate of plant growth while minimising irrigation water requirements. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroponics]

1.6.3 Cell culture replacements for farm animals

Research suggests that cell cultures could replace the milk and meat production functions of farm animals. But cell culture is expensive because of the large amounts of energy required. The cost problem could be solved in warm climates if glass houses were used to grow fruit and vegetables and the electricity generated by cooling the glasshouses used for cell cultivation.

Here is a specific example.

Based on NASA research, an alternative to animal farming is being developed. This will allow single cell protein (a meat substitute) to be produced by fermentation using CO₂ extracted from the air and water. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Foods] The environmentalist George Monbiot is a big fan but sceptics point out that significant amounts of electrical energy are required. This criticism could be overcome by using the electricity generated by LP Turbine cooled glass houses.

1.6.4 A new economic model for oil producing Middle Eastern countries

An inevitable consequence of humanity abandoning fossil fuels is that the oil exporting countries will suffer economic damage. Fortunately LP Turbines offer new economic opportunities for all of them, especially those located in the Middle East.

Each Middle Eastern state could start producing some of its food under glass, using LP Turbines to cool its glasshouses. This would trigger a positive feedback loop, allowing glasshouse farming to expand rapidly until each country became self sufficient in energy, food and desalinated water. The states would then go on to generate surplus electricity that could be used for making silica glass, sintered sand building blocks and building sand for export.

The positive feedback loop: Starting from modest beginnings, the electricity generated by cooling the first generation of glasshouses would be used for making the glazing quality glass and the other construction materials required to build a second generation of glasshouses. These in turn would generate yet more electricity for the glazing glass and other construction industries. This would allow an even larger third generation of glasshouses to be built. And so on.

In the short term, oil rich Arab countries may look upon LP Turbines as a threat to their economies. But in the long term they will gain far more from greening their deserts tol help reverse climate change. A 2009 study suggests that at least 37 million people in Arab countries could be displaced by climate change by the end of the century. [http://www.carboun.com/climate-change/the-impact-of-sea-level-rise-on-the-arab-world-2/]

1.7 Enriching the soil for crop and tree growth

Crops grown in the open air or under glass still need feeding. An LP Turbine based economy could help in several ways. Here are some examples.

1.7.1 Nitrogen

Currently, the bulk of the world’s nitrogen fertilizer is manufactured using the Haber process. This converts methane gas into nitric acid, the key ingredient in manufacturing nitrogen fertilizers.

The alternative is to use the Birkeland–Eyde process which dispenses with the need for methane by using nitrogen extracted from the air instead.
Until now the Birkeland–Eyde process has been uneconomic because it uses electricity very inefficiently, with most of the electricity ending up as low grade heat.
This would not be a problem for an LP Turbine based system, because the waste heat could be converted back into electricity again.

BUT, whichever manufacturing method is used, steps must be taken to ensure that access to  low cost nitrogen fertiliser does not lead to its overuse. [Nitrogen pollution - Soil Association]

Farmers need to be educated in the prudent and timely use of nitrogen fertiliser. Where possible, technology such as robot tractors, drones and satellite images transmitted to smart phones must be used to monitor for nitrogen deficiency and only then, nitrogen fertiliser applied.

1.7.2 Phosphorus

Phosphorus obtained from rocks is a finite resource and some experts fear that we will run out of supplies in a few years.

The experts also believe that we could still meet all of our phosphorus fertilizer needs if we recycled the runoff from our agricultural land and sewers. Currently this form of recycling is an energy expensive process. But LP Turbines would significantly reduce the recycling costs.

1.7.3 Biochar + liquid fertiliser

Biochar is a soil enrichment material that was famously used by the native Brazilians to improve the fertility of their barren rainforest soils. It is made by heating any form of organic material, for example 

chopped up wood, horse droppings or plant waste in a closed oxygen free environment.

Biochar manufacturing offers several bonuses compared with converting organic material to compost:

(ii) Biochar can be made in a few hours, but composting takes several months.

(iii) The manufacturing process creates a very useful general purpose soil tonic known as wood vinegar.

(ii) Evidence from the Amazonian rain forests suggests that biochar can trap atmospheric carbon for up to a thousand years.

  Currently biochar manufacturing is a time intensive low technology industry.

LP Turbines could form the basis for an advanced form of biochar reactor system. They would supply electricity for a heating element inside the reactor. And the fertiliser rich vapours released during the thermal breakdown process could be condensed in an exhaust pipe cooled by the LP Turbine. The Turbine would also provide power for a wood chipping machine for chopping up branches so that they fit into the reactor.

1.8 Harvesting economically important metals and other minerals

1.8.1 From sewage

In addition to phosphorous, trace quantities of important metals such as copper, silver, mercury, cadmium and gold can be found in sewage material. Low cost energy would make their extraction economically viable. The removal of toxic metals would also render the sewage safe for recycling as fertiliser or biochar.

1.8.2 From sea water

Sea water contains sodium, chlorine and trace quantities of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, bromine, strontium and other valuable materials. Their extraction also becomes economically viable if low cost energy is available.

1.8.3 From desert sand

There is a world shortage of good quality sharp grained sand for making concrete. Desert sand is abundant but unsuitable for building work because round desert sand grains do not bind with cement to produce strong concrete. However, if desert sand is melted and then cooled so that it becomes glass, it can be crushed to produce sharp building sand.

The melting process is very energy intensive, but with cheap clean energy delivered by LP Turbines, the process becomes economically viable.

In cool deserts the heat released by the solidifying molten sand can be used to help power the LP Turbines.

Granular desert materials could also be heat sintered to make building blocks.

1.9 High level nuclear waste

Using LP Turbines to incinerate nuclear waste could prevent people from getting wet feet

LP Turbines will price nuclear energy out of the market.

But this still leaves the problem of our existing high level nuclear waste for future generations to deal with.

Left to decay naturally, this high level nuclear waste will take many thousands of years to decay to a safe level. But if the radioactive materials are broken down in a 'nuclear incinerator', this decay time can be reduced by at least an order of magnitude. That is, to a few hundred years instead of many thousands.

Fortunately, the type of nuclear reactor required, called a molten salt reactor is a lot safer than today’s power station  reactors and even has the support of many environmentalists who were formerly anti-nuclear.

LP Turbines open up the possibility of making these reactors even safer by reducing their operating temperature and adding an extra failsafe method.

Our improved safety nuclear incinerator design can be found on this linked page.

The problem is what to do with all of the electricity they will generate !

Here are some suggestions:

• Mining sea water:
  Coastal nuclear incinerators would be ideally placed for the extraction of metals and other resources from sea water.

• An environmentally sustainable space age:
  Using the electricity generated to split water into hydrogen and oxygen would supply the fuel required for spacecraft launches.
• Greening the deserts:
  Countries possessing large tracts of desert land could sign 200 year leases allowing guest countries wishing to 'burn' nuclear waste to set up nuclear incinerators on their coastal land. In return, the guest nations would use the energy generated for the desalination of sea water, for greening the deserts.  Other services offered to the host country could include fertiliser and greenhouse glass manufacturing.

For example, this is how Australia could benefit.

Figure 2. Remotely generated ‘nuclear electricity’ would not be cost competitive with locally generated ‘LP Turbine electricity’. Instead we propose using ‘nuclear electricity’ for desalinating sea water, for irrigating part of the Australian interior. Expanding the forest and food growing land slowly over 10² years would allow time for the wider consequences for Indigenous culture, wildlife and climate to be assessed.

An opportunity to heal a deep racial wound: Since the arrival of European settlers, Australia has been developed to meet Europeana needs at the cost of destroying the close spiritual bonds of the indigenous Aborigines with 'their' land. This has led to high rates of depression, suicide and unemployment. If the decision making and management style of the new forest region was handed over to the indigenous people it could be developed to meet their values and needs.

There should be no serious concerns about this form of desert greening leading to nuclear arms proliferation because the nuclear waste fed into the incinerators is unsuitable for the manufacturing of thermonuclear warheads.

We discuss greening the deserts in more detail on this linked page.

1.10      Rain forests

Three of the biggest threats to tropical rainforests are their destruction to create jobs, agricultural land and flooding for hydroelectric schemes.

In an LP Turbine powered age, rainforest hydroelectric schemes will become redundant.

But for political reasons, governments may still see the rainforest lands as a resource for job creation, food production and electricity. For these markets we propose a far more environmentally friendly LP Turbine alternative.

Here is a ground plan suggestion for a rainforest LP Turbine power station and its surrounding environment.

 Figure 3 This is a plan view of a replanted rain forest based LPT power station. (Not to be confused with a Dalek on a bad hair day!)

The long conduits that reach out from the power station can double up as agricultural glasshouses where intensive agriculture can deliver high yields.

Replanted rain forests can attract support from ethical investors by acting as carbon sequestration sites. The following vertical cross section through an LPT moist air conduit and adjacent land shows how.

Figure 4. The archaeological evidence suggests that biochar can remain locked in rain forest soil for more than a millennium. Rain forests growing on improved soil have a lower canopy and denser undergrowth. This should improve the moist air holding capacity of the forest. [“Hand made”, New Scientist, P42, 4 June, 2011.]
The high value cropping areas inside the tunnels will be protected from physical erosion caused by violent tropical rainstorms.

Improved soil quality will assist the replanted forests to continue growing even during the periods of draught that are increasingly common, thanks to climate change.

Additional roles
Rainforest trees rely on nutrients stored in dead organic material in the top 20 cm of soil. Nutrients at a greater depth are leached out by heavy rainfall. But this topsoil is depleted by slash and burn farming and severe forest fires. This means that replanted forests are slow to grow.

Ideally, balanced fertilisers would be added to boost re-growth, but field observations suggest that nitrogen is the most important additive.

Legume trees that make their own nitrogen fertiliser grow up to nine times as fast as other trees in replanted areas. This can cause problems, because they crowd out other trees during the early years. On the other hand, it also suggests a novel environmental role for forest LP Turbine centres. They could become district hubs for fertilising the young forest zones. This would help to create a balanced ecosystem with both legume and other trees maturing in harmony.

The LP Turbine electricity could be used for:

• Making nitrogen fertiliser using the Birkeland-Eyde process.
• For manufacturing hydrogen by electrically splitting water. This could be used as helicopter, light aircraft or drone fuel, for craft spreading the fertiliser over large areas without having to construct access road networks.

BUT, this is only an option for consideration. Research will have to be done, to ensure that the heavy tropical rains do not flush out the nitrogen fertiliser, resulting in algal blooms in the forest waterways. Perhaps nitrogen fertiliser blended with biochar could provide a drip-feed of nitrogen.

1.11  New job opportunities for communities left behind by globalisation and automation

Artificial intelligence, computers and robotics can all replace human operators. This is a threat to jobs, especially low and semi-skilled work. Globalisation has made the problem worse because in addition to low wages, the emerging countries can keep manufacturing costs down by using dirtier, but cheaper energy.

In contrast, LP Turbines will create new jobs because low cost energy will allow us to do new things. It will also eliminate the competitive edge offered by nations run on 'dirty energy'.

Please visit this linked webpage for further details.

1.12 Aviation

Assuming that defrosting cycles or static charges allow any icing up problems to be overcome, there are some interesting possibilities for incorporating LP Turbines into aircraft design.

• If the LP Turbines are run on heat extract from air flowing over the upper leading edge of aircraft wings, the pressure of the air flowing over the wing will fall as it cools, providing an increase in uplift.
  
  

• Winged aircraft flying a few metres above the land or sea benefit from an additional form of up thrust known as the ground erect [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_effect_(aerodynamics)#:~:text=Ground%20effect%20%28aerodynamics%29%20From%20Wikipedia%2C%20the%20free%20encyclopedia.,to%20%22float%22%20whilst%20below%20the%20recommended%20climb%20speed.].
  When combined with the up thrust create by LP Turbines, these phenomenon could form the basis for a new sea and land skimming form of transport.

  In wildlife rich areas, ground effect ‘floating’ vehicles could be used to connect remote communities to towns, without having to construct hard surfaced roads. Instead, the vehicles would ‘float’ one or two metres above grass covered routes. This would allow unhindered migration for small walking and crawling wildlife. It would also reduce road kill fatalities.

• Jet aircraft engines could be completely redesigned, with the compressors being driven by electric motors mounted in front of the combustion chamber, instead of turbines spinning in the hot gases behind the chamber. When flying at altitude, multi engine craft may be able to provide a substantial part of their thrust without burning fuel by using their compressors alone
  .

• Compressed air can be used to warm the undersides of the wings, adding additional uplift. Arrays of primary compressors across the whole of the front of the leading edge of the wing would feed their warmed air to (say) two separate and parallel secondary compressors towards the trailing edge of the wing. The secondary compressors would be followed by combustion chambers, with the main purpose of the secondary compressors being to prevent blowback of the hot combustion gases.

• Airships could rely on thrust provided by LP Turbine powered propellers alone.
  
  
• Airships that only carry small loads such as microwave relay stations could obtain all of their uplift from air temperature differences, dispensing with the need for expensive helium buoyancy.
  
  
•  LP Turbines could also form the basis for a new type of hovercraft that partly rely on buoyancy produced by local air pressure differences resulting from air temperature differences between their upper and lower body surfaces.
  
  

• Developing this theme, single wing drones could expand the reach of the internet.

  The proposed type of aircraft is essentially a large, approximately pizza box shaped horizontal wing with airfoil features to maximise lift and minimise drag. It has a horizontal array of air intake fans along its leading edge connected to two air exhausts at the far corners of the trailing edge. The passage of compressed air though the connecting pipe work warms the underside of the wing and the top of the wing is cooled by the internal LP Turbines that power the fans.

  The direction of air intake and exhaust can be varied by movable ports or flaps to provide lift, forward thrust or a rotational couple.

  By flying in small circles at a high altitude, this type of drone could provide a quasi-static internet relay station, for stations on the ground.

1.13 Shipping

Marine vessels can run on LP Turbines that extract heat either from the air or water. Both media pose potential icing up problems, so both will require de-icing systems.

(i) A variation on conventional propeller thrust design

To minimise the number of potential ice forming occasions, the contact surface area between the water and the heat capturing casing of the LP Turbines could be increased by mounting the propeller(s) inside conduits that pass through the interior of the hull. These conduits would extend from bow to stern. Heat could then be captured from water outside the hull plus that flowing through the conduit. The propeller(s) would preferably be mounted at the bow end of the conduit so that the increase in water temperature caused by work being done on it could be exploited. A variable tapered nozzle at the outlet end could be used to increase the momentum of the ejected water. A large filter grid in the form of a V shaped prow at the inlet end would minimise the relative water inlet speed and prevent all but the smallest marine life being drawn in.

Enclosed propellers could be quieter than current exposed designs, reducing the harmful effects of propeller noise on marine wildlife. [Frontiers | The Effects of Ship Noise on Marine Mammals—A ...] They would also prevent marine life being injured by rotating propellers.

A permeable prow could also be designed to be a lot softer than a rigid hull in the event of a vessel hitting a large sea animal.[ The threat from vessel strikes - Whale and Dolphin ...

]

(ii) Propeller free designs

(a) Warm climate vessels running on thermal energy extracted from the water

The warmer the water surrounding a vessel, the more violently the water molecules bounce off the hull. This is experienced at a macroscopic level as an increase in water pressure on the hull.

Under normal marine conditions, these changes in pressure are approximately the same around the hull, so they go undetected. However, by employing LP Turbines, the water at one end of the vessel can by cooled by extracting thermal energy to drive an LP Turbine. At the opposite end, the water can be heated by an electric current supplied by the LP Turbine.

Figure 5. Differences in water temperature along different sections of the hull can be used to induce a thrust or a couple.

The heat exchange fluid can be air, making the vessel into a double hulled ship.

(b) Cool climate vessels running on thermal energy from the atmosphere

These operate on similar temperature difference principles, but instead of inducing a net force by cooling and warming water on opposite sides of the vessel, the panels would be placed above the waterline, cooling and warming the adjacent atmospheric air.

1.14 Resilience to cyber attacks, massive solar storms and natural disasters

Stand alone LP Turbines and small local power grids will be less tempting and far more resilient to attacks by hackers and cyber criminals.

Nature’s equivalent in the form of massive solar storms will also be less of a threat. [Solar stroms are discussed in this article: http://uk.businessinsider.com/solar-storm-effects-electronics-energy-grid-2016-3?r=US&IR=T]

LP Turbine based micro-grids will also be more resilient to earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural forces compared with complicated national electricity grid systems. 

In the aftermath of a major disaster, acquiring spare parts to repair LP Turbines will be simplified if their designs are standardised.

Part Two

International implications of an LP Turbine (LPT) economy

2.1 Easing the transition to an LPT economy

In the developed countries, the energy sector is an important employer that generates tax revenue and provides a safe investment for pension and other funds.

In order to minimise the harm to funds and employment during the transition, governments will need to step in. One option would be to nationalise virtually all aspects of the home energy industries, guaranteeing jobs in the short term and providing fair compensation for investors. Nationalisation could also provide price stability for customers, with the electricity tariffs being independent of the method of electricity production.

Staff could be retrained in step with the local transition to an LPT economy and financial measures introduced to encourage the reinvestment of nationalisation compensation funds in the new economy.

In the early years, financing the transition will be expensive for the government. But the only LP Turbine running costs would be for servicing and repairs. So, as the transition progresses, the government’s net income from electricity tariffs would rise.

Eventually, the total cost of making the transition would be paid for, leaving the government with a new source of tax revenue. This energy tax could be fine tuned to further improve the environment. For example, industries that reduced their discharges into the environment, but only at the cost of installing energy consuming filtering equipment, could be charged lower electricity tariffs.

In the developing countries, the possibility of future nationalisation might discourage the private installation of LP Turbines. To avoid this, it would be helpful for governments to pass legislation, guaranteeing a minimum time period of, say 20 years before privately owned LP Turbines have to pay energy taxes on their output.

2.2 LP Turbines and the balance of international power

LP Turbines will speed up the economic changes that are already underway, thanks to developments in medicine and technology.

Figure 6. Prosperous nations have built national power grids to link together their electricity consumers and suppliers. This required a massive investment but was essential for creating their modern economies.

LP Turbines will allow the developing nations to completely sidestep this expensive stage in their development because they can deliver all the electricity a thriving community needs at a local level. Better still, they will also deliver free indoor air cooling and a useful amount of fresh water. In addition, independent local network production will be relatively secure against massive cyber attacks and other network outages, such as those caused by solar flares.

There are also a number of other technology trends that are assisting localised economic growth.

Mobile phones have eliminated the need for a national landline telephone network, 3D printing will allow many machinery spare parts to be made locally and (accelerated by the pandemic), the internet is starting to provide comprehensive access to advanced information and learning. The pandemic has also accelerated the use of drones for delivering medical supplies to remote locations.

Using these technologies, entrepreneurs will be freed up to develop businesses and create jobs locally, even in countries handicapped by poor central governance.

As a consequence, poor people living in tropical countries will eventually enjoy a similar standard of living to today’s citizens in the advanced nations.

2.2.1 The global influence consequences for China and the USA

Three key factors favouring national economic strength in the future will be population size, having a young average age and access to tropical heat. Access to desert sand will also help. These factors will favour the large developing countries that are currently economically weak. Consequently, the huge economic gap between China and the USA on one side and other countries with large populations on the other will shrink. A new ‘flatter’ class of economic giants will emerge, with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines and others having the economic clout to make their voices heard.

2.2.2 Global influence consequences for Russia

In western eyes, Russian military power and the meddlesome ways of the current Russian leadership are seen as a threat. But they are seen as a sign of strength in Russia and enjoy popular support. However, Russia only ranks as eleventh as a world economic power, with about half of its state revenue coming from the international sales of gas and oil. In a future LP Turbine based world economy, this income will dry up and Russia’s overseas adventures will have to be abandoned.

2.2.3 UN Security Council implications for its permanent members

(France, Britain, Russia, China and the USA)

These countries were granted permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council by virtue of being on the winning side in the Second World War.

A century later, as other countries overtake them in terms of population size, youth and economic strength, France, Britain and Russia are likely to lose their permanent status.

As funding for UN projects comes increasingly from the newly prosperous countries, China and the USA will also find their permanent seats on the Security Council under threat.

2.2.4 Implications for post-Brexit Britain

• It will be several years before most countries have a clear idea about what goods and services they wish to trade in the new LP Turbine era. Any trade deals negotiated in the meantime will have little long-term merit.
• In order to give the people of Northern Ireland a fair post-Brexit deal while the new trading opportunities are being resolved, it would be helpful to negotiate a temporary Norwegian style trade deal with the EU. For the period of the agreement, this will completely eliminate the need for Northern Ireland to have any hard borders imposed upon it.
• The dream of a ‘Global Britain’ is unlikely to materialise because, although the country will become more prosperous, it will fall in its world economic ranking.
• Populist politicians in Britain’s old colonies will be increasingly inclined to pick fights with a weakened Britain, in order to boost national loyalty at home.

2.2.5 Economic and political implications for the European Union

Figure 7. The warmer states of southern Europe will gain the greatest boost from a shift to LP Turbine power, reducing economic differences across Europe.

1. Economic differences between the cool northern and warm southern states will shrink.
2. This will reduce the pressure on currently prosperous EU countries to financially aid the poorer states via EU funding.
3. The threat from Russia will be removed when Russia loses its oil and gas revenues. This will reduce the case for creating a European army.
4. In the second half of this century, all the European states could fall out of the top twenty world economic powers. But if the EU retains its present membership, it will still be an economic power comparable to the USA.
5. As the rest of the world becomes more self sufficient, prosperous and politically stable, the appeal of Europe as a destination for illegal economic migrants will fade. To reinforce this trend, potential economic migrants need to find it more attractive to set up an LP Turbine based business at home, rather than take a chance on migrating to Europe.
   The EU may find it cost effective to subsidise the price of LP Turbines and other tools in the migrants’ home countries.
6. Russia and the UK may be tempted to join the EU as their own international influence declines.
7. There were important sovereignty reasons why the UK voted to leave the EU. There was also distaste for the misuse of the UK contribution to European funds. Similar arguments appeal to the voters in the remaining richer EU countries. So, if the EU wishes to remain united and see the UK rejoin, it needs to carry out radical reform, handing back many powers to its member states. Factors 1 to 5 above will make this reform easier.

 Conclusionn

In an LP Turbine era, the champions of the EU project will have to ask themselves a different question if they want European values to remain relevant in a changing world.

Instead of asking “How can we overcome our national differences in order to gain strength comparable with the USA?” They should be asking “How can we take advantage of our national differences in order to make a unique contribution in a changing world?”

On this website we offer some suggestions for creating an improved EU 2.0. These include a proposal for enabling a reformed EU to increase its diplomatic influence, even as its relative economic power wanes. A suggestion is also made for decoupling local housing price control from EU central bank interest rates.

2.2.6 Economic implications for an independent Scotland

1. According to conventional thinking, the North Sea oil industry is expected to provide Scottish jobs and revenue for some years to come. Scotland’s green energy future is seen as even brighter because Scotland has the most favourable wind, tidal and wave power resources in Europe. However, all these resources will be priced out of the market in an LP Turbine based economy.
2. On the other hand, the uglification of Scotland caused by wind turbine farms and the Beauly to Denny power line will be reversed. This will help in creating new jobs in the tourism industry.
3. Scotland, along with other mild climate countries, could find it difficult to attract international investment because LP Turbines offer a greater range of business opportunities in warm climates.