Professor of electrical engineering Tom Vales came to class to show us different alternative energy machines that he had collected and built. Each one displayed a different method of creating electricity. His visit gave us great insight into how science and technology is striving to find the best ways to create energy without harmful effects on the environment.

The first machine he showed us was called a Stirling Motor/Engine. This machine was particularly interesting because it was operating solely on steam created by a pot of boiling water. The steam from the water creating a shifting airflow within a tube, which in turn drove a piston, which could then be used to generate a form of essentially free energy. He said that this technology was utilized in emergency generators in Maine.

Next, Mr. Vales showed us a machine that was invented by physicist Jean Peltier. The machine incorporated two types of electricity conducting metal, copper and bismuth, fused together. An electric charge is sent through one side of the machine, heating up the other end which can then be used for different purposes.

The next machine was referred to as a Mendocino Motor. This device was very impressive, as it used nothing but solar energy to operate and resulted in a long metal rod actually floating and spinning freely in a magnetic field. This was accomplished by attaching four solar panels to the rod and concentrating a light source over the cells. The cells generated a charge that each turned the rod 90 degrees, and since there are four cells the rod spun in a full circular motion for as long as the light source was turned on. This demonstration impressed me because it showed solar energy could create a type of perpetual motion machine in a small scale machine.

Lastly, Mr. Vales demonstrated a Tesla Coil that he built himself. The Tesla Coil works by creating an alternating current of electricity through tightly spun copper wire. This demonstration showed us how AC power flows through different devices, which is how electricity flows from electrical outlets in our walls to any type of device we plug into the outlet. The Tesla Coil was very impressive and interesting, and Mr. Vales demonstrating how the electricity flowed through various devices he brought helped me better understand the concept of alternating current.

Picture Examples of the Machines

Example of a Stirling Engine

An example of Tom Vales’ Peltier Engine

A Mendocino Engine

Tom Vales’ homemade Tesla Coil in action