The two compounds in these long acting photoluminescent
pigments are strontium and europium. They are not radioactive and are cousins to the luminescent zinc oxide
of our youth. These are
much brighter and longer lived then the zinc compounds.
examples of products using these compounds. Move your mouse over the photos in the link below
http://www.ez-bright.co.jp/en/products/products.html
Any source of heat will make steam. That engine will run
on government paperwork! My train of thought would
be to use biogas (methane) generated from decomposing
organic matter. True sustainable permaculture in action.
This would be best done at a community level rather than an individual level. Think city sewage plant. The methane is there waiting to be utilized. On a farm using
the already available manure/humanure which must be
disposed of anyway, is also highly viable. The process produces fuel for heating
and highly valuable compost for crops. It is also independent of centralized control
Refrigeration.
An already perfected technology exists using ammonia
as the refrigerant. Any heat source; kerosene, propane,
natural gas,
biogas, heats the ammonia and starts
the cooling cycle. There are no moving parts!
http://home.howstuffworks.com/refrigerator5.htm
I have lusted for a propane refrigerator like this one
made by the Amish
http://www.propanerefrigerator.com/
but they are not mass produced, and are therefore very
expensive (2-3000 dollars). Their consumption of propane/kerosene is also fairly dear. The second issue
could be circumvented by using one configured for natural gas and piping home made biogas into it. Voila!
Sustainable refrigeration that will last as long as your
livestock produce manure!
Once again, this technology would best be implemented
at a community level. Aspects of the technology are time intensive - you don't fire up a steam engine and just
walk away and leave it. It needs watching and tending. In a radiant zone community this would be one of the many regular chores to be done to make a community work.