Saving the Earth with limitless and pure renewable energy
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| A member of the research team monitors the system's CO2 usage |
Using
cutting-edge advances in genetic engineering and cell culture technology, biotech
researchers in Palo Alto, California have developed a revolutionary bioenergy
system that produces potentially unlimited quantities of clean and renewable
energy while reducing atmospheric
carbon dioxide.
Cenote
Sagrado is an electrochemically active living system comprised of “exoelectrogens,”
symbiotic, electricity-generating organisms that harvest energy from abundant
and renewable natural resources, including commonly-occurring biochemicals and carbon
dioxide.
The system
literally grows electricity. Its only
byproducts are water and small amounts of fully biodegradable after-product
suitable for repurpose as fertilizer.
Unlocking the power of nature
Dr.
Wolfgang Gerhart, the facility’s co-founder and executive director, is known
for his visionary work in biotechnology and posthuman development. Nearly a decade ago, he turned to bioenergy
research and began the work that would eventually lead to a radical breakthrough
in energy science.
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| Prof. Drexler feeds nutrients into the bioenergy system |
“With one
bold stroke we have created an endless source of energy and the means to
rebalance the Earth’s carbon cycle,” Dr. Gerhart said.
Senior
Researcher Prof. Margot Drexler explained that Cenote Sagrado’s key innovations
were the modification of naturally occurring cellular respiratory pathways,
combined with certain biocatalytic processes and heightened oxidation reduction
capabilities.
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| The wealth of life offers endless biotechnical applications |
“Electron
transport chains occur in diverse biological processes and ecological niches,” Prof.
Drexler observed. “Take, for example,
the giant tube worm, Riftia pachyptila,
which thrives in deepest darkness on the ocean floor along volcanic vents,
subsisting on carbon dioxide and water.”
“The biotechnological applications for this and similar
life processes are endless,” she adds.
From prototype to large-scale power generation
The
Cenote Sagrado team is currently growing a prototype biogenerator which is scheduled
to become fully active by mid-2016. Upon reaching full capacity, the system will generate more than
one million times more energy than previous biofuel cells, enough to power the facility and supply
abundant surplus energy to the electrical grid.
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| The prototype houses a miles-long network of living tissue |
During
a tour of the facility, Prof Drexler proudly showed off the prototype generator,
a row of polished
stainless steel tanks. Residing inside
is a miles-long network of inter-connected living tissue: filaments and
monocellular biofilm folded compactly upon itself, growing in a substrate pool.
“It is
beautifully self-organizing and self-regulating,” she said, noting that its
capacity is limited only by the flow of metalloproteins, serum and the host of
other naturally-occurring substances from which it harvests energy.
Based on
the company’s impressive results to date, a proposal is currently under
consideration for the construction of a full-scale biogenerator outside Las
Vegas, Nevada by mid-2020. The
full-scale biogenerator would generate sufficient energy to meet all of the
city’s needs, while employing thousands of people.
Ancient mysteries light our future
Cenote
Sagrado may be Dr. Gerhart’s brainchild, but it would not exist without the
support of co-founder Tom Watson. Mr.
Watson is a highly successful entrepreneur and self-described “über-rationalist”
who has dedicated his life to the accelerated betterment of humanity.
Cenote
Sagrado is an example of his bold vision and willingness to fund ambitious
projects ranging from the colonization of space to the peaceful merging of man
and machine.
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| The system taps a bottomless reservoir of life-sustaining energy |
According
to Mr. Watson, the project takes its name from the “sacred well” in
the great pre-Columbian Maya city of Chichén Itzá, and invokes a bottomless reservoir of life-sustaining
energy.
“From the
dawn of time, man has believed that blood holds the power of eternal life and
salvation,” said Mr. Watson. “Through
the lens of science, we have peered into the innermost chamber of an ancient
mystery and unlocked its boundless potential.
We will now become our own saviors.”
Serving a greater good
Charles
Coughlen, a globally-renowned environmental
activist and author of numerous books on climate change and energy, advises Cenote Sagrado. He admitted to some
initial concern about the morality of creating a living system that depends on
hemoglobin and other human blood factors.
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| Cenote Sagrado strives for a greater good |
Any doubt was short-lived. “These sorts of questions will have to be resolved, as I am sure they will be, in time,” he noted. “But as I explained in Frogs in Hot Water and Burning the Path to a Greener World, the crises of our time render such concerns secondary.”
For Mr. Coughlen, the greater good of progress is worth the price. “This marks a turning point. Cenote Sagrado is our best and perhaps last hope for advancing humankind without catastrophic damage to the planetary ecosystem. Without it, we are lost.”
A call to action
If you are
passionate about saving our planet and are driven by a desire for the
betterment of humankind, then Cenote Sagrado has a place for you.
“Our employees
hold the highest place of honor in this organization,” said Dr. Gerhart. “They are not only highly compensated but also
treated with the utmost respect and dignity.
People truly are our greatest resource.”
But he added that there is no such thing as a free lunch. “Our work demands a high level of personal commitment
and, at times, sacrifice.”
Cenote
Sagrado is an equal opportunity employer.
Cenote Sagrado is also an entry in Archdruid John Michael Greer's Great Squirrel Case Challenge of 2015.
Cenote Sagrado is also an entry in Archdruid John Michael Greer's Great Squirrel Case Challenge of 2015.
