We talked with Holger about his project, which Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General, called one of the most humanitarian projects of the 21st century, if not the most humanitarian project in the history of mankind.
- Holger, how was born the idea of converting the energy of particles of the invisible radiation spectrum into electricity? Tell us a little about the history of the company.
- In the late 90s, as the chairman of the Directors Board of a large construction and trading holding, founded after the reunification of East and West Germany, I was engaged in investment projects in the field of photo galvanic. A group of scientists from the friendly environment of my father, a nuclear physicist, conducted research to optimize the performance of solar collectors.
In the process of laboratory tests, nanoparticles of materials were used to create the maximum possible active physical surface, but the tests were unsuccessful, the material showed signs of instability, and vibrations occurred that did not contribute to improving the surface of solar cells. These vibrations, the origin of which was completely unclear at that time, inspired researchers to continue experiments on amplifying vibrations, relying on the assumption that if vibrations occur in the material, they can lead to resonance of atomic vibrations, and hence to the generation of electricity.
Holger Thorsten Schubart (left) and Evgeny Utkin (right), photo © Utkin
- What results have you achieved in your laboratories?
- At first, in 2008, the results achieved under laboratory conditions were very weak, but we managed to significantly improve the performance over the years of research and development: today, with a sheet of size A-4, we are able to receive power of about 3 watts. In 2010, based on the results obtained in the laboratory, it was decided to commercialize this discovery - energy generation based on atomic vibrations, and we named this process: NEUTRINO Energy. Over the years, we have been joined by several subsidiaries around the world: our own research company, our own media company, and several other rights and patent management companies. Today we are NEUTRINO ENERGY GROUP.
- How soon and what can be expected in the market? Start with watches, calculators, and maybe smartphones?
- The smaller the devices, the faster they can be implemented for market introduction. In the case of our technology, the energy management system plays an important role, because the amount of energy that the neutrino cell generates fluctuates, and many technical devices require a constant supply of energy. We intend to start by analogy, as was the case with photocells: first appeared calculators, because at that time there were still no mobile phones and even smaller devices, such as hearing aids or watches, where, for example, we are already conducting concrete negotiations with industry partners.
Holger Thorsten Schubart, CEO Neutrino Energy Group, photo © schubart
- What about cars? Can we expect in the future (maybe not far away?) the creation of a fully autonomous car that is "powered from space" using your technology?
- The car is one of my favorite topics at the moment, since the topic of electric mobility is currently extremely relevant. Our technology is applicable not only to create neutrino energy cells that can be charged from the conversion of particles of the invisible spectrum of cosmic radiation, but also from the design of the car body: the entire body car will be built in the future from our special metamaterial. In this case, the vehicle’s body to its full depth becomes an energy converter, and the car collects energy from the environment when it moves or just stands in the parking lot even in complete darkness. Our project of an electric car, called Pi-Car, should be a small light vehicle with narrow tires, and the body is made of carbon. For the purpose of the practical implementation of this project, we are negotiating cooperation with a major international automobile manufacturer.
Project of Pi-Car, photo WEB
- Solar energy is developing quite rapidly in the world. Explain the difference between your technology and its advantages.
- The main advantage of NEUTRINOVOLTAIC technology is that particles of the invisible radiation spectrum do not just reach the surface, they pass through the materials without encountering obstacles due to their high penetrating ability. Therefore, the neutrino energy cell consists of individual sheets of foil metal with nanoparticles of doped graphene and silicon sprayed onto it by a special method. These sheets are placed one below the other like a stack of paper. A huge advantage is that the flux of high-energy particles of the invisible radiation spectrum is stable day and night, does not depend on the time of year and weather. The output power of the energy cell does not depend on its location, its output characteristics will not change, even if it is placed underground several tens of meters.
It works evenly 24/365 days anywhere in the world. We also convert electric smog. For example, it has been experimentally proved that the vibration of atoms becomes more intense near nuclear power plants, power lines or in large cities. The same applies to the heating phenomenon, for example, when the vehicle’s body is heated, the vibration frequency of the atoms increases, and it determines the efficiency of our neutrino energy cell.
NEUTRINOVOLTAIC is a metal foil sprayed with graphene and silicon, photo WEB
- Is it possible to talk about the development of your technology so that you can abandon hydrocarbon energy (oil and gas)? Can you imagine what geopolitical consequences this could lead to?
- Yes, in a few years, humanity can easily refuse to burn all fossil resources if our technology is widely used. In this aspect, I want to especially emphasize that we want to build not a giant power plant on the field that will generate a large amount of electricity, but a large number of small compact decentralized units located directly in places of electricity consumption, so as not to build expensive power lines and eliminate losses in power networks.
An energy generation system that pollutes our atmosphere with toxic CO2 emissions was created over 150 years ago and has become the standard for this time. Today we know that it is extremely harmful to the climate, and fossil resources are limited, so it is simply necessary today to provide a viable and environmentally friendly alternative for the new period when fossil fuels run out.
Another aspect is geopolitical issues, since fuel resources are already limited today, wars are fought precisely for these life-supporting resources, as well as for water. The even distribution of resources around the world should compensate for the great instability in the modern world. If the gap and differences between those who have everything and those who have nothing are not so great, then there will be less ground for political conflicts and even wars.
Kofi Annan, a former UN Secretary General, called Neutrino Energy one of the most humanitarian projects of the 21st century, if not the most humanitarian project in human history. This is very logical if you are aware of all the consequences that can arise from such distribution of energy resources and access for all, without limiting to a sufficient amount of energy.
Holger Schubart at the 69th International Astronautical Congress, photo © digitaljournal.com
- And finally, what contribution will your technology make to the ecology of our planet?
- Today, extreme climate changes can be observed, in particular due to the high level of CO2 emissions. With our technology, energy generation absolutely free of CO2 emissions can be ensured worldwide. Of course, it will take several years for these ideas to gain power and in reality be able to transform the old power generation system into a new one. Personally, I believe that in 5-10 years we will already have many devices in modern households working on neutrino energy cells. I believe that in 15-20 years, up to 25-30% of energy supply can be provided through the use of our innovative technology, and after 30-40 years, nothing more needs to be burned in this world to generate electricity and electric mobility.