Planet Mechanics

Planet Mechanics

Infobox Television
show_name = Planet Mechanics
starring = Dick Strawbridge; Jem Stansfield
genre = Documentary
creator = National Geographic UK
narrated =
country = UK
language = English
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 8
runtime = 45-50 Minutes
network = National Geographic Channel
first_aired = 2008
last aired = presentPlanet Mechanics is an English TV programme shown on the National Geographic Channel. The programme was broadcast on Sunday at 7:00pm. Series one has now finished.

Episodes

*1. Air Propelled Sandwich
*2. Cow Power- In this episode, they built a bio gas plant which powers an oil extractor to extract oil from Rapeseed. The extracted oil is used to power a wheat dryer.
*3. Lake District Dilemma
*4. Solar Paella
*5. Electric Water Taxi- In this episode, Dick and Jem made a solar powered boat/water taxi for the busy canals of Venice, Italy.
*6. Surf Power - In this episode, they build a gadget that gets free energy from the ocean waves and lights an RV. Dick and Jem also made a generator which ran on human power by modifying a bicycle.
*7. Heavy Metal House - In this episode, they built a house using cargo shipping containers and solar power.
*8. Tree Powered Car- In this episode, they modified a pick-up truck to run on gases emitted by burning wood.

Critics

While proposing some interesting alternative technologies as ecologically friendly, the real environmental impact and actual life span were never verified. An example is the "tree powered car", which, while interestingly using wood as main power, was less efficient (being a dual transformation process wood-gas-mechanical) and produced a relative larger quantity of CO2 in comparison to standard gasoline (which has more energy/weight).

It should be noted that in order to "make" the trees. Carbon has to be collected from the atmosphere.

It should also be noted that carbon collected from the atmosphere by trees is the same carbon produced by the burning of trees. When gasoline is burned, carbon that has been locked in long term (millions of years) storage is released creating a net increase in atmospheric carbon. The wood burning engine is carbon neutral over a hundred year period as all carbon emitted by the engine would have been released is the natural decomposition of the tree anyway.

External links

* [http://www1.natgeochannel.co.uk/explore/green/mechanics_prog.aspx?Id=670 Planet Mechanics Website At National Geographic UK]
* [http://www.natgeotv.com.au Planet Mechanics Website At National Geographic AU]


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