50. Learning From Nature

     We have long been seeking for other means of using the energy from the sun. Recently, I mentioned that a single acre of our Ohio farms received from the sun, in the three summer months, energy equivalent to that developed by burning 250,000 gallons of gasoline - enough to take care of the ordinary needs of over 2,400 cars for a year under the present rationing! If we could devise some method of capturing that sun energy, there would be no need for rationing at all.

     When man appeared on this earth, he must have - found vegetation in all forms. Green leaves of many kinds were trapping that sun energy and converting it into plant growth. We are now using through coal and petroleum the sun energy given to those green leaves millions of years ago.

     We do utilize, in another way, a small portion of the power by harnessing waterfalls - Niagara's great powerhouses are just using the energy of yesterday's sunshine.

     It is not because nature is trying to keep that secret - we just haven't fully evaluated the problem or spent anything like enough time working on it. Many people have studied this subject and all have made contributions.



Short Stories of Science and Invention A Collection of Radio Talks by Charles F. Kettering INDEX		*50.* *Learning From Nature* We have long been seeking for other means of using the energy from the sun. Recently, I mentioned that a single acre of our Ohio farms received from the sun, in the three summer months, energy equivalent to that developed by burning 250,000 gallons of gasoline - enough to take care of the ordinary needs of over 2,400 cars for a year under the present rationing! If we could devise some method of capturing that sun energy, there would be no need for rationing at all. When man appeared on this earth, he must have - found vegetation in all forms. Green leaves of many kinds were trapping that sun energy and converting it into plant growth. We are now using through coal and petroleum the sun energy given to those green leaves millions of years ago. We do utilize, in another way, a small portion of the power by harnessing waterfalls - Niagara's great powerhouses are just using the energy of yesterday's sunshine. It is not because nature is trying to keep that secret - we just haven't fully evaluated the problem or spent anything like enough time working on it. Many people have studied this subject and all have made contributions.