Prize Funding for Alternative Energy sources - no matter how bizarre?

I have remarked, on occasion, that the funds which would be welcomed in Bessler wheel research are not available nor will they ever be until a proof of principle wheel is produced.  However, it is clear that there are dozens if not hundreds of prizes on offer for the person or persons who succeed in designing and constructing and developing alternative energies or finds a way to store energy cheaply and efficiently.

For instance:-

"The Zayed Future Energy Prize is an annual award which celebrates achievements that reflect impact, innovation, long term vision and leadership in renewable energy and sustainability. The Prize represents the vision of the Late Founding Father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who championed environmental stewardship.

"Through the Zayed Future Energy Prize, the United Arab Emirates has been honoring those who have placed a tangible and evident effort in globally advancing renewable energy and sustainable technologies. One of the greatest unifying challenges the world faces today is the urgency to address climate change, promote sustainable development and encourage innovation in renewable energy technologies.

"Each year, an individual, organization or a non-governmental agency is recognized for groundbreaking achievement in developing and deploying solutions to our future energy needs. The following represents a breakdown of the Prize categories:-

"Large Corporation (A recognition award)

SME (US$1.5 million)

NGO (US$1.5 million)

Lifetime Achievement Award (US$500,000)

A Global High School Prize (US$100,000 divided amongst 5 regions – Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania)"  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zayed_Future_Energy_Prize

Or this one:-

"The Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy, whose purpose is to acknowledge, publicize and disseminate outstanding ideas and achievements in research related to the science, engineering, technology and commercialization of renewable energy. Nominations may address a wide range of topics involving renewable energy and energy efficiency with a demonstrated or clear potential global impact. The award is designed to recognize and reward the impact of specific ideas or achievements, rather than a lifetime of achievements in the field.

They offer the Leigh Ann Conn Prize in Renewable Energy Research which consists of the award of a medal and a cash prize of $50,000.  Ideas eligible for nomination may have an individual author or multiple authors; however, the total cash prize will be shared in the case of multiple authors."

http://www.conncenter.org/leigh-ann-conn-prize/

Or this one:-

"The goal of the Energy & Environment Prize Group is to generate breakthroughs in clean energy, climate change, energy distribution/storage, energy efficiency/use, and water resource management. Advances in these fields will lead to greater sustainability and efficiency, while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels."

http://www.xprize.org/prize-development/energy-and-environment

Gregg Maryniak is the Chairman of the Energy and Environmental Systems Track of Singularity University and the Secretary of the X PRIZE Foundation. He wrote:-

"If you read newspapers, blogs and other popular reports on renewable energy, you are very likely hearing almost exclusively about power generation advances in solar cell or wind turbine efficiency or ways to reduce production costs.   But exciting as these steps are, an examination of where our energy comes from today shows that even after decades of improvement in renewable energy systems, more than 95% of the energy in the United States is still provided by fossil fuels, nuclear power and traditional hydropower.   So, what is missing from the present picture that could dramatically advance the use of renewable energy?  

"Economical energy storage.

"The phenomenon of the world's so-called addiction to fossil fuels is actually an aspect of a greater underlying energy truth.  What society really wants and needs is energy on demand."

And finally, although there are literally hundreds to choose from:-

"The Anzisha Prize – Africa’s foremost entrepreneurial awards which reward young African entrepreneurs – has now included a $10 000 USD Energy Prize in addition to the $75 000 USD in cash prizes already up for grabs.

"The award has been made possible thanks to the Donor Circle for Africa, a group of Silicon Valley Community Foundation donors supporting individuals and non-profit organisations committed to making a difference to improve the lives of the people in their community. The $10,000 Energy Prize supplement to the 

Anzisha Prize will be awarded to an applicant who demonstrates ingenuity in developing sustainable renewable energy sources.

"Qualifications for a winning project are that:

"It provides an affordable, sustainable source of energy generation. Energy can be based on any type of renewable resource such as wind, solar, geo-thermal, bio-sources, water and others (what others?).

"It is locally sustainable. The project must be built, operated, and maintained by the people and resources available in the community it serves.It has applicability in a broad range of communities across Africa. While the project must be locally sustainable, the resources and technology must not be so unique that it cannot be replicated. Other communities could implement the model given access to reasonably common resources. It is innovative either in the technology (a new or more efficient way of producing power) or in the application (adapting methods or technology to generate or store power in a new way)."

http://www.anzishaprize.org/

With all this money sloshing about you could be forgiven for thinking that perhaps some of it might be pushed in our direction.  Don't get me wrong - I don't crave money for research, I'm just puzzled at the apparent complete ignorance of our work here.  I know it is viewed with scorn buy the vast majority of those who seek to help develop new forms of energy, but when you consider the following areas of research being investigated it does make you wonder

"One day, you may use sugar to power your laptop; bacteria to run your car; or dead bodies to heat a building; trap the the solar wind and beam electrons to earth via a infrared laser beam, process feces and urine, collect vibrations from traffic, process sludge into biomass, protein from jellyfish, "exploding lakes", so-called because they contain huge reservoirs of methane and carbon dioxide, trapped in the depth by difference in watere temperature and density etc etc!

http://news.discovery.com/tech/alternative-power-sources/ten-bizarre-sources-alternative-energy.htm

JC

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