New science is opening the way to fuel-free power and propulsion and a turnaround of Global Warming. Conventional wisdom suggests we will be dependent on oil, gas, coal and nuclear power for the foreseeable future. Alternative energy is thought to be limited to solar, wind, fuel-cells and biofuels, etc. However, a revolutionary family of energy conversion technologies has emerged that is likely to prove extremely important. This breakthrough requires no fuel and produces no pollution. It opens a path to cost competitive electric power, automotive, and later aerospace propulsion.

Scientists have long been aware that the earth is immersed in an extremely dense sea of energy, which permeates every nook and cranny of the universe. It is only recently that it was realized that this huge reservoir could be an available source of usable energy. With some notable exceptions, e.g. Paul Dirac, we have been, like fish, unaware of the ocean.

Science employs a variety of names to describe this new field: space energy, vacuum energy, dark energy, the quantum vacuum, and Zero Point Energy (ZPE). Until about twenty years ago, scientists did not consider it possible to tap for practical use.

Nikola Tesla, the genius who gave birth to alternating current, said: "Electric Power is everywhere present in unlimited quantities and can drive the world's machinery without the need for coal, oil or gas…".

The late Dr. Robert Forward, then a physicist at Hughes Aircraft Corporation, published a paper in Physical Review, in 1984, suggesting that ZPE could be tapped for the direct generation of electricity. Two years later the USAF sought proposals for the utilization of ZPE for power and propulsion in a Small Business Innovation Research solicitation. Since that time other physicists have published papers suggesting that there is nothing to preclude the conversion of ZPE as a source of energy for power and propulsion.

Aviation Week and Space Technology, in the March 1st, 2004 issue, published an article headlined: “Aviation Giants Eye Zero Point Energy�. The following line reads: “Zero Point Energy emerges from the realm of science fiction, may be key to deep space travel�. The article goes on to suggest that “ZPE power plants might result in Mach 4 fighters, quiet 1,200 seat hypersonic airliners that fly at 100 mile altitudes as far as 12,000 miles in about 70 minutes�. The article reports that at least two major aerospace firms, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, are studying ZPE.

NASA data suggests that far more than 20 times the solar energy available, at the peak of a sunny day, can be extracted from the Zero Point Field per unit of surface area on earth – in excess of 20 kilowatts per square meter, around the clock, seven days per week.

Dr. Fabrizio Pinto, formerly a physicist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has obtained U.S. Patents entitled: “Method for Energy Extraction�. He states: “ZPE is expected to exhibit infinite density and to be universally present, and might therefore be a limitless source of energy.� His firm seeks to convert ZPE by means of the Casimir Force, a physical manifestation of ZPE discovered in 1947. Lucent’s Bell laboratories announced, in 2001, that it successfully harnessed the Casimir Force to operate a miniature teeter-totter useful in advanced computer chips.

ZPE can be extracted magnetically. Nobel physicist Werner Heisenberg is quoted as stating that we “could utilize magnetism as an energy source�. Hans Coler, a German inventor supported by Hitler’s Navy, according to a long since declassified British Intelligence Report that has been posted on the web, succeeded in building a working 6 kilowatt, solid-state, magnetic "space energy receiver�. This remarkable generator was destroyed by an Allied bomb in 1945. At the time, there was no comprehension as to the source of the energy. Coler wrote: “These fundamental researches…have made the first real and large breach in the citadel of present scientific belief.�

Cycclone Magnetic Engines, Remat Inc., and Perendev Power, all claim viable magnetic motors, the last two driving 40 kW and 20 kW alternators respectively. Remat states output exceeds input by at least 140%. The Cycclone and Perendev motors require no input. All three devices raise many questions. ZPE may prove to be the energy source.

Prototype Zero Point Energy extraction devices have been constructed in numerous laboratories, throughout the world, during the past two decades. Our own firm, Magnetic Power Inc. has a team of outstanding engineers developing pre-commercial rotary and solid-state systems. One kilowatt Magnetic Power Modulesâ„¢ are expected to be in production next year by one or more Strategic Partners, aimed at the market for homes and portable generators. Modules can be combined to increase output in a manner analogous to solar cells. Automotive power systems will start by ending the need for a plug-in hybrid to plug-in. Larger models will replace engines. Megawatt modules can be used in power plants. Battery replacements will power laptop computers. Demonstration devices and toys are being developed to illustrate the feasibility of practical designs.

Although still not widely known, increasing numbers of scientists and engineers are working with this truly revolutionary energy technology. This fact heralds the beginning of a profound transition, leading beyond dependence on oil, gas, coal, uranium, and other fuels. Great numbers of new jobs will emerge, as will a major stimulus to the world economy. Energy independence is likely to be realized by all countries, large and small, rich and poor. Reversing air pollution, and slowing of global warming, is inherent in the achievement. To the surprise of many, this is likely to be a near-term event.