Synergetic Development

Bucky Ball 300

Dr. Richard E. Smalley, who shared the Nobel prize for the discovery of carbon-based molecules, called "Fullerenes", (also called 'Bucky balls') concludes, in a more-recent work, that storage of electrical power, on a grand scale--like for an urban community--is impractical. In fact, it's impossible, with today's technology.
Specifically, there is no battery made that can power a city for very long.

Instead, he proposes, that: if each house had its own local battery...suitable to meet its own electrical needs (and perhaps a little surplus), it is, in effect, possible to power a city with a battery.
In other words, in his proposal, 'each house' is a 'power cell' in the urban battery. With this approach, he says, "...the problem becomes vastly more solvable."
http://www.matternetwork.com/2008/2/bucky.cfm

Smalley points out that, 'not only is the technology for local power storage already available, but that household power storage can be locally maintained with existing renewable energy technologies--built in (or added) to the design of the home'.

This is a fine example of how principals of synergy apply to sustainable development. Within this frame, sustainable development means 'developing each home, or building, or room, in itself, as 'self-sustaining'--or 'energy independent'--as possible'. In this process, each 'part' is empowered to contribute its maximum potential to the sustainability of the 'whole'.

This idea of 'synergetic development as a productive approach to achieving sustainability' seems obvious enough, when speaking in terms of ' local power storage' or 'energy management'. But, might the same principals of synergy cross-over into other areas of sustainable development; like sustainable ecology, culture, economy, and politics?


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