What is the energy source?

Apart from many other life giving properties of the atmosphere, the earth would not be a life sustaining environment if it was not for its perfect temperature regulation properties. This is called the Natural Greenhouse Effect. Nowadays, with Climate Change, the Greenhouse Effect has attracted a very negative perception. The truth is that the Greenhouse Effect of the atmosphere raises the earth's surface temperature on average to about +15° Celsius. If there was no atmosphere this average temperature would be around -15° Celsius. The calculated net gain as a result of the Natural Greenhouse Effect is in excess of 30° Celsius. So, the Greenhouse Effect is not the Big Bad Wolf. It is actually one of the many very specific and finely tuned parameters that enables life on earth.  The problem is when this very specific parameter finds a different equilibrium. In this case caused by human activity.

Energy in and energy out passes straight through most of the atmosphere (N2 and O2  make up 99%) without any energy exchange with the molecules. It is only in 0,1%  of the atmosphere (which is a mix of all other trace element gasses in the atmosphere) that we may find the Greenhouse gasses.  The main Greenhouse gasses are Methane (CH4 ) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Ozone (O3) Nitrous Oxides (NOx) aerosols and water vapour (H2O) or clouds.  

Water vapour is by far the most abundant and potent Greenhouse gas. 99% of it is found in the troposphere (the 0 -12 km elevation, or lowest portion of the atmosphere).  Around 90% of all O3 is found in the stratosphere (12 -50km elevation). On the assumption that other Greenhouse gasses are part of a homogenous mix throughout the total atmosphere, it is a reasonable conclusion that at least 30% of these contributors can be found in the troposphere,  when the density to elevation calculation is taken into consideration. From the very simplified observation, it is clear that the bulk of the Natural Greenhouse Effect (70-90%) can be found in the troposphere.

Although the exosphere may be as high as 10 000 kilometres from the earth's surface, most scientists use the Karman line located 100 kilometres (62 miles) form earth's surface as the edge of outer space as far as earth is concerned.

Thus, the bulk of the Natural Greenhouse Effect transpires in the bottom 10% of the earth atmosphere on a linear altitude scale.

Energy interference is a function of the molecule, and the the wavelength of the energy parcel. The energy wave length is a function of the source temperature of the energy. The (obviously) warmer sun emits shortwave energy (between 0,4μm and 0,8μm wavelength) while the earth radiates longwave energy(5μm to 50μm). This makes all the difference.

Shortwave energy passes through CO2 and CH4 (and with some interaction through water vapour). This means that no or little of the energy is absorbed by the molecule when the energy passes through the molecule. With longwave energy more of the energy is absorbed by the Greenhouse gas molecules. These molecules must in turn emit this energy again, but when it emits it ,it is in all directions equally. 

So, when an inbound shortwave energy parcel hits a water molecule, a tiny fraction of the energy stays in the molecule, the rest passes through to earth. That initially retained energy is in turn emitted by the molecule but in 360° direction. This implies that the bulk of the tiny fraction that is emitted again, is not in earth's direction. So, most of the of the original shortwave energy reaches earth. (The sum of the unaffected sun radiation + the tiny fraction of the tine fraction of the molecule radiation)

With outbound longwave radiation, a much bigger portion of the energy is absorbed by a water molecule,  and a smaller portion passes straight through to space. The bigger portion in the affected molecule gets radiated again in a 360° direction, but with a bigger angle that stays under the Greenhouse Gas blanket.  So the sum of the energy retained under the Greenhouse gas blanket is is larger with the outbound longwave energy.

And so, as per the graphic at the top of the page, a massive portion of the earth's radiated energy is just reflected back to the earth, and stays within the earth's cycle.

In 2009 it was calculated that the energy balance offset is 0.9 W/m2, i.e. the earth absorbs that much energy continuously. (It is illustrated in the graphic above). With the surface area of the world estimated to be 510,1 million km2 it calculates to 459 terawatt of energy. It is difficult to visualise this massive amount of energy. Maybe the best way to describe it would be the energy equivalent of an Hiroshima sized atomic bomb explosion very 30 seconds, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

At least 90% of this extra energy has been taken up by the world's oceans.

In 2020 the humanity consumed 550 Exajoules of energy. That included all oil, gas, coal, nuclear, other carbon based and renewables. From the earth's energy budget, it means that in just under 2 hours, the solar energy that is absorbed by earth surface, is equal to all the energy humanity used in a year. 

But then it should be simple to switch to renewables. The energy is available.

But it is not. 

This incoming energy is thinly spread over all of the exposed surface. That is mountains, seas, highways, bi-ways, towns, farms, deserts, lakes etc. It is simply too sparse per area to effectively use.  

An analogy would be to build a water supply from individual raindrops that fall over the whole of the earth. We intuitively understand that this is not feasible.

Instead, we wait for nature to aggregate these drops into seepage, drainage lines, brooks, springs, fountains, rivers and dams.  Or with technology we build dams with pipes in rivers so that we can have an all year supply of fresh water. And that is the start of agriculture, towns cities, and modern food production.

The fact of the matter is that constructed dams and water infrastructure, are at the end of a long series of natural interventions that aggregate the original rain drops.

Exundo focusses on technology in natural phenomena that aggregate energy on its way to leaving the earth's surface. Because it is going up and is invisible to the naked eye, it is not intuitive to humans. And so it also was when Nichola Tesla and Thomas Edison argued against existing science on the transmission of electricity over vast distances.....now this very same transmission infrastructure is the nerve centre of humanity.

In the graphic representation above, the sum of the W/m2 going up (80+17+396=493) is 3 x the energy coming down from solar radiation (161). 

Just as dams in natural (aggregated) waterways make the water supply stable, so Exundo technology induces an (aggregated) flow that produces a stable (with technology control) green energy output. And because we use the natural aggregation principle, the generation can aggregate over vast areas, putting the installations close to the point of use, which carries its own massive set of advantages.

Green energy is defined as energy generated with a zero carbon  footprint (or Greenhouse gas  footprint per definition). Put differently it is neutral to the Climate Change dilemma. 

But Exundo goes one step further. While it is generating electricity, it aids nature by emitting energy in such a way that it does not get trapped under the greenhouse gas blanket again. As such, it helps nature to cool down. This is GREEN + energy.