SUBTERRANEAN NUCLEAR EXTINGUISHER
The recent disaster in Japan, especially the Fukushima Nuclear Plant, really got me thinking about the worlds over reliance of technology. Now I don't understand too much about Nuclear Power Plants. From what I gather, sometimes the core reactor can over-heat causing a possible nuclear melt down (a la Chernobyl). So how do they currently stop melt-downs from happening? Apparently, they just pump plain water in to the reactor. But, what happens if the pumps fail, and the back up generators fail, and the back up back up plan fails. Disaster!
I believe this system is way too over engineered. It's silly to rely on electricity to pump water, then back up generators to pump water, then whatever other back up plan to pump water. One of the greatest things about water is that it flows, it is a slave to gravity, nothing will ever change that. So I have devised a plan that uses water in a 100% fail proof way.
Take all of the worlds nuclear reactors and place them below sea level. Create a dam with a sloping trough from the sea shore to the actual reactor. When the react over heats, simply release the flood gates and allow an unlimited amount of water to flow into the reactor to cool it off. It works for creating hydro from Hydro-dams. It works for sewers for the past couple hundred years. It even worked for the Romans about 1000 years ago. Water and gravity can not fail.
SOLAR PARKING COLLECTOR
Parking lots are Big black waisted spaces. They absorb sun light and turn it into heat, creating unbearable temperatures in cities. Cars sit all day in these parking lots absorbing heat from the sun and the pavement creating the need for car drivers to run their a/c continuously in the summer. This in turn has a negative impact on the environment because it increases fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Don't forget that parking lots are rarely full and waste valuable space within a city.
I believe that if we created full roofs or wing roofs with solar panels on them over the parking lots we could solve a lot of these problems. Solar panels are great for turning suns energy into electrical energy so why waist valuable farm land for solar farms when the potential for all of our parking lots is huge. In turn the cars will be shaded from direct sun, cooler to drive in, use less a/c, less gas, less CO2. Win win win win situation.
STORM WATER IRRIGATOR
Stormwater management is a big deal. Water running over farm fields, streets, roofs, or any other surface can pick up major contaminants and place them into our watercourses. We create huge ponds that allow contaminants to settle, which allow clean water to flow to waterways. We create ditches and water treatment plants that either flow water straight to ponds or clean it before hand. Development is looked at as a bad thing because it generally covers up the normal absorbing powers of soil and plants. But what if instead of sending our water down ditches, drains, sewers, ponds we make it easier for it to be absorbed naturally.
Before creating a new parking lot or building. One should place a network of pipes with holes in them. When the pipes are covered with soil and gravel and eventually pavement you connect the drainage of the parking lot to these tubes. In a rain event the tubes will act just like drip irrigation. The tubes will all fill up with water while releasing the proper amount of water directly into the soil for filtration and natural flow.
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