CLAIMS & MYTHS
The world of alternative energy is full of extraordinary stories. Some are based on solid science. Some contain a small truth surrounded by exaggeration. Some come from honest mistakes. And some simply don't survive careful examination.
But calling something impossible doesn't prove that it is impossible, any more than calling something revolutionary proves that it works.
Here, we try something different: state the claim fairly, find the best evidence available, look for ordinary explanations, and decide what the evidence actually supports.
DON'T BELIEVE IT.
DON'T DISMISS IT.
INVESTIGATE IT.
Curiosity and skepticism aren't enemies. Used together, they're two of the best tools on the workbench.
HOW WE EXAMINE A CLAIM
1. WHAT IS THE CLAIM?
Before arguing about it, determine exactly what is being claimed. Stories often become more impressive each time they're repeated.
2. WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
Find the earliest reliable source possible. A patent, laboratory report, interview or original demonstration tells us more than a thousand reposts.
3. WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE?
A demonstration can be interesting. Independent measurements, repeatable experiments and documented results are much stronger.
4. HOW COULD IT WORK?
What mechanism is proposed? Does known science explain it, or would something genuinely new have to be discovered?
5. WHAT ELSE COULD EXPLAIN IT?
Measurement error, stored energy, heat, chemical reactions, hidden inputs and ordinary physics should be checked before reaching an extraordinary conclusion.
6. WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE?
Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes no. Quite often the most accurate answer is simply: we don't know yet.
NOT EVERYTHING IS JUST TRUE OR FALSE
Good evidence supports the claim.
Possible, but evidence is incomplete.
Not enough reliable evidence.
Evidence weighs against it.
The specific claim fails testing.
And if better evidence appears later, the verdict can change. That's not weakness. That's how investigation is supposed to work.
CLAIMS WAITING ON THE TABLE
As the site grows, each of these can become its own investigation.
Can water itself be a fuel, or must energy first be supplied to separate its hydrogen?
Can supplemental hydrogen improve combustion enough to offset the energy required to produce it?
Magnets exert force — but can a permanent-magnet arrangement continuously deliver net energy?
What exactly is being measured when a device is reported to produce more energy than it consumes?
“THEY SUPPRESSED THE INVENTION.”
This is one of the most common stories surrounding unusual energy inventions. Sometimes businesses really do buy patents, technologies disappear, funding ends, inventors lose lawsuits, or promising products fail commercially.
But disappearance alone isn't proof of a conspiracy. We'll look for documents, patents, court records, demonstrations and independent evidence before deciding what the story actually supports.
THE PERSON IS NOT THE CLAIM
An inventor can be wrong without being a fraud. A skeptic can be wrong without being closed-minded. A scientist can make a mistake. An amateur can discover something interesting. A patent proves that something was patented — not necessarily that it works. And a convincing video is still not a controlled experiment.
“THAT CAN'T HAPPEN” IS NOT AN EXPERIMENT.
Neither is “I know what I saw.” Both are reasons to look closer.
HEARD A CLAIM WE SHOULD INVESTIGATE?
Send us the claim, article, video, invention or story. You don't have to believe it — and you don't have to think it's nonsense. If it raises an interesting question, we'll put it on the table.
SUBMIT A CLAIM OR MYTH →