Superconductors are really cool materials! One property called the Meissner effect makes superconductors expel magnetic fields. To do this, currents are induced in the superconducting material, generating its own magnetic field to cancel the field of the approaching magnet. This group from Paris made a superconducting hoverboard and magnetic track, which they demonstrate in this video. Check it out!
This is another cool video describing a superconducting material on a magnetic track. Check it out!
This TED talk talks a little about the physics of this phenomenon.
Can you imagine how this could be useful? What challenges would engineers need to tackle before using this in practical applications? Comment in the comments section.
They represent the area that would be enough for solar power plants to produce a quantity of electricity consumed by the world, in Europe (EU-25) and Germany (De) according to data provided by the German Aerospace Center in 2005 within the project Desertec. Read more about this interesting project and their current activities here!
Hey, check out this article talking about how Germany is using solar energy. They just set a record for single day energy use coming from solar power. Also, the benefits and costs of their approach to using solar energy is discussed.
