“Something like this would be a blessing for about half of the world.”
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Yes it would. Snatching energy out of the air would benefit EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE.
IF the developing world’s energy needs stay on the extremely limited individual basis you define, I suppose we could painfully stretch the point to agree that this unproven device “...could be solution to developing world’s energy needs..”.
On a very PARTIAL level.
Building big coal electric plants would do most of the world no good. The cost of getting the wiring in place alone would be prohibitive. And they wouldn't use enough energy to pay for it any time in the next 20 years.
For the next ten to twenty years this could be a partial bridge.
This could work for now. As to how the future would develop... :shrug: it is not here yet.
Small solutions tend to work best in the developing world and produce the most long term changes.