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While there are no fully functioning power plants running on Andrea Rossi’s E-Cat technology to provide conclusive proof of the veracity of Mr. Rossi’s claims, I believe that he has put enough evidence now in the public domain to conclude that we may well have been presented with a new source of power that is more efficient, cheaper and cleaner than any energy source currently in existence.
The implications of a working E-Cat technology for the world are tremendous. Energy problems seem to be at the root of so many of the economic, environmental, and political difficulties we are facing at the moment, and it appears that Mr. Rossi’s invention could provide very useful solutions for many of them. Following are some areas where might see some important and dramatic changes in the not-too-distant future.

Energy Production

There is scarcely a person on the planet who is not affected in some way by problems associated with energy. As technologies develop and economies modernize we are increasingly dependent on energy for just the basics necessities of life.

One of the attractions of th E-Cat technology is that it appears to be ready for prime time almost out of the box. Most power plants produce electricity using steam-driven turbines. The means of producing steam differs — conventional plants burn fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil, while nuclear fission creates the heat that is used in nuclear plants. It would be a relatively simple engineering process for power station operators to replace their existing sources of steam production with E-Cats — which also produce steam. E-Cat technology is perfectly designed to fit into the existing electrical grid, and thus rapid adoption of this technology is very feasible.

The Environment

An overriding concern connected with energy production these days is the emission of greenhouse gases and nuclear waste — and apparently none are produced from the E-Cat. The environmental implications of this technology would be tremendous. Not only would it allow for much cheaper power, but it would also do so cleanly. This technology could be the kind of clean energy that environmentalists have been seeking for for a long time.

The Economy

Andrea Rossi has said that initially the E-Cat would provide electricity at the cost of 1 cent per kW hr — roughly 10 per cent of what electricity currently costs. Such cheap power would provide a huge boost to consumers of power worldwide — individuals and businesses alike. It would make the cost of producing goods much lower and provide vast savings on people’s utility bills — much cheaper heating, electricity and air conditioning.
Energy intensive industries would be much more feasible — for example desalination of seawater which currently is very expensive because of the large amount of electricity needed would become viable with cheap power, allowing for the expansion of agriculture in arid parts of the world.
Transportation would likewise be affected. E-Cats providing cheap electricity would encourage auto makers to increase the development and production of electric vehicles. Who would not want an electric vehicle if you could fuel up at home on cheap electricity?

Living off the Grid

Andrea Rossi has said that home-based E-Cats would eventually be possible — although his first applications will be in industry. A home based power station would be highly desirable and would open up the benefits of power to people where there is no current electrical infrastructure. Three billion people are currently without electricity in their homes and E-Cat technology could accelerate the pace of modernization in the developing world like nothing we have yet seen.

Science and Engineering

If Andrea Rossi has indeed discovered a way to produce a safe way to produce a controlled low energy nuclear reaction (cold fusion) that is reliable and repeatable, a whole new field of exploration for scientists and engineering will open up. Cold fusion research has been abandoned by all but a few dedicated researchers. A working E-Cat will open the doors for researchers to try and understand the mechanism by which the nuclear reaction occurs, and how this technology can be refined, improved and adapted.

Negative Impacts

While positive results are fairly easy to envision, an all-new source of cheap and clean energy would also have a highly disruptive effect on the current energy-industrial complex. There are national economies that are based on oil production, and E-Cat technology could put a large dent in oil prices which could create new and challenging geopolitical tensions.

The alternative energy industry could become largely obsolete in the face of a much more efficient alternative, and it’s likely that investments in all kinds of energy technologies could be severely affected.

These are just some of the potential consequences that could come about if E-Cat technology works as advertised and is deployed on a wide scale. As with any brand new technology it is impossible to see all the possible implications and effects. We should also remember that the first iteration of any important new technology is primitive and likely to be improved upon – think cars, plane and computers. The E-Cat power plant that Andrea Rossi is now construction could be just the first breakthrough in a new energy era that may transform the civilized world.