A recent laser test at Lawrence Berkelery National Lavoritory was conducted where pulses at the Berkelery Lab Laser Accelerator delivered a petawatt of power once per second. A petawatt is 1015 watts, or 1,000,000,000,000,000 watts about 400 times as much as the combined instantaneous output of all the world s electric plants.
This is impressive to say the least, but the experiment brings to mind why laser technology isn’t replacing electricity as the main source of power used in the world.
Since fiber optics is widely used these days, which is basically using a fine, flexible fiber made of glass, silica, or plastic slightly thicker than a human hair for transmission of data via light. This same concept could also be used as a form of power, replacing electricity.
Just slight modifications to the current fiber optics transmission tubes need to be done, to accommodate the concentrated light of the laser beams for transmission of power.
Ordinary, metallic wires used for transmission of electricity would have to be replaced by the new glass tubes. This project would be a monumental endeavor for power companies to accomplish, but it would create millions of jobs as the whole concept of power transmission would be revamped.
From an environmental standpoint, the whole world could possibly be supplied with an endless supply of electricity while having hardly any pollution, if any at all.
Instead of a power generating plant in the traditional sense, which burns coal to produce electricity. It would be possible to use a Collider ( particle accelerator) to produce the laser, and yes, the power already in use could be redirected to the collider in a process of full circle energy production.
Obviously, we have the technology at hand now, it is just that the pieces of technology haven’t been put together to achieve it.
The cost of such laser power would be a fraction of what electricity is today. Power companies could still make a profit, since the prices of everything else would also be drastically reduced.
In a world where over 7 billion people reside and more coming each day, the idea of replacing electricity with the laser as the main source of power is a necessity, which should be initiated as soon as possible.
Just as television broadcasting stations switched from analog to digital, it is possible to switch from electricity to laser.