'Tard of the Week - Estacado Energy Services

Tuesday, December 16, 2008
This week's 'tard is an energy company called "Estacado Energy Services," a subsidiary of the Roosevelt County Electric Cooperative.

It seems that Estacado has a non-exclusive licensing agreement with BlackLight Power for the production of thermal and electric power.

It seems that BlackLight Power claims to be able to turn water into a boundless, cheap source of energy. Most scientists believe that this claim violates the laws of physics. In fact,
if you ask nearly any physicist if it's possible for a hydrogen atom to enter a lower energy state than the ground, or resting state they hold in nature, and you're likely to get an unequivocal "no".
I'm not a physicist and I don't play one on T.V. (although my progeny intends to be one). So I have to bow to those who have the education, training and wherewithal to address this claim. And they all say this process is bogus.

So it appears that Estacado Energy Services is buying into a snake oil scheme. Maybe they think it's a risk worth taking. Maybe Dr. Mills, BlackLight's founder, convinced them of the efficacy of his device. Maybe they frequently run out to Whole Foods for their daily dose of AquaMantra and they BELIEVE. Or maybe they're just 'tards.

Of course, no one would be happier than me if I'm the 'tard in this scenario - water being a boundless, cheap source of energy? Yee-Haw!

But I'm not holding my breath.


H/T to SkepChick.

11 comments:

Nathan said...

Considering the fact that water isn't even a boundless, cheap source of...water, could throw one more wrench into this concept.

mattw said...

Maybe if its they make the energy from the vibrational awesomeness that is AquaMantra, then the world will instantly be transformed into a perfect utopia, or it could open the gateway to hell.

Janiece said...

Matt, don't be silly.

Everyone knows that Hellboy opens the gateway to Hell.

John the Scientist said...

Eeek. Raney Nickel? Hydrinos?

But there are quite a number of smart people who seem to be taken in by this, so I can't say that your power company is a complete 'tard for taking a risk on what might be a revolutionary technology, just a partial 'tard.

On the other hand, the probability behind that "might" is about 0.000001%, so I hope they didn't pay too much for the license, otherwise, they're edging into total 'tard territory.

Jim Wright said...

Cold Fusion at last! Woohoo!

what?

Seriously, Janiece, you're looking at it wrong. Boundless energy doesn't necessarily mean electricity. See, you bottle yourself up some of the vibrationally enhanced hydrino laced water and sell it - they've even got a great power drink name, Blacklight Energy - then you get money energy, which you could invest in coal fired power plants.

Dumb, but not so dumb.

What? Stop looking at me like that.

Janiece said...

There is the possibility that I'm wrong (along with the majority of the experts).

If so, I'll have my crow roasted in my BlackLight Energy powered oven, and be glad of it.

And Jim, I'll look at you any way I want. 'Cause it's that kind of day.

Just sayin'.

John the Scientist said...

Well, Janiece, I don't think you are wrong. As that commenter Shane said, the IR spectra are meaningless, and XPS is not a good tool for what they say they are measuring (the wife is a semi-expert in XPS).

I think the probability of truth is very very low, but there's enough doubt in my mind, and a high enough payoff if they are right, that if I were an investor, I'd shell out some bucks for a test - but one I designed and controlled, otherwise, no dice.

The thing about those analogies of scientists being wrong, though, is that they are all from a long time ago. We've learned a lot in the 20th century, and it all fits together. It's hard to change one part of physics without tearing down a while lot of other stuff.

One of the commenters says that he wants to see the equations embedded in Mills's software that replicate the Schrodinger Equation's correct predictions of the Hydrogen spectra, then go on to predict the fractional quantum states that Mills postulates. I think that would be a good start.

Janiece said...

John, I didn't say you thought I was wrong. I said there was a possibility.

One that Estacado Energy Services is evidently betting on.

As I mentioned, I do not have the education to have an opinion on this matter, so I'm siding with the scientific consensus.

Chris said...

Either Blacklight showed the head at Estacado something revolutionary, or fooled them with some slight of hand in order to get in their pocketbooks. Not sure how much faith I have in this concept, but I would love for them to prove all the skeptics wrong.

The news story read like a trailer for a psuedo sci-fi movie: "Today, Estacado purchased the rights to Blacklight power..."

Cut to a giant, smoking crater in the New Mexico desert, than a confusing, seizure-inducing melange of clips of *generic Hollywood Leading Man* dodging bullets, evading thugs and saving *generic Hollywood Leading Lady* from the sinister *generic Hollywood Bad Guy* in the employ of Big Oil.

Maybe I should start writing the script...

Eric said...

I hate to pimp myself, but I think I have an upset-for-TotW candidate at Giant Midgets. I'm just pleased that I found him before you did, because I think you would have 'tarded him of the week if you had.

_Jim said...

Wake up toots. It's eleven years later and the reaction rates are 1,000 times what they were in 2008.

Actual devices working at 10s of kilowatt level are in development and under test:

https://brilliantlightpower.com/news/

Sure, progress has been a little slow and Dr. Mills sometimes "over-forecasts". I'll grant ya that.