Earth's Long-Wave Infrared: Review and Study of Scalable Applications

Abstract

The Earth's infrared energy storage is substantial, and its large-scale utilization could effectively ameliorate the greenhouse effect on Earth. Several applications of utilizing Earth's infrared radiation for cooling and power generation are summarized based on existing literature. Building upon this foundation, the use of water as an excellent energy storage medium is proposed, and a long-wave energy storage system is designed. This system can harness the immense energy density of long-wave infrared radiation with fixed bandwidth or wavelength. A comprehensive study on large-scale application is outlined in four aspects, leveraging the energy storage and radiation advantages of the system: (a) Long-wave infrared is efficiently transported using hollow glass infrared fibers for room cooling and heating. This addresses the issues of separate terminals for capillary radiation air conditioning, high costs, and maintenance challenges. (b) Building on existing literature, taking Hainan as an example, the utilization of a temperature difference of approximately 15 °C between the lowest and highest temperatures in a day for power generation is suggested. (c) The composition and structure of planar antennas are derived, and parameter selection for rectifying diodes is proposed based on radiation fluctuation theory and antenna theory. This lays a theoretical and practical foundation for converting long-wave radiation waves using rectifying antennas. (d) The long-wave radiation quantum theory is utilized to propose the concept of manufacturing components that can directly convert energy from long-wave radiation. In each of these four aspects of large-scale utilization, the emphasis is on water's excellent insulation, storage, and radiation properties, presenting new perspectives for the widespread utilization of Earth's infrared and offering a quick pathway for humanity to explore new energy sources and mitigate the greenhouse effect on Earth, facilitating a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.