The Waste Heat Problem

Even if we cap all greenhouse gas pollution, the planet will still warm by several degrees within the next 300 years. That is the claim made by Eric J. Chaisson in a recent paper on waste heat. Waste heat is the extra energy generated in the form of heat by machines and through industrial processes. Chaisson found that “humans waste about two-thirds of the energy we produce on earth.” All of that wasted energy can adversely affect the temperature of the surrounding environment. In time, Chaisson argues, the accumulation of waste heat will be of equal magnitude to the greenhouse effect in raising global temperatures.

While the situation sounds dire, there is hope that waste heat could be harnessed to supplement our energy demands. Recent scientific projects have been successful at converting waste heat into energy.

University of Utah physicists conducted experiments which turned waste heat into sound and then back into energy. This technology, they hope, could convert waste heat from a problem into an inexpensive energy source.