Developing a Research Question

These three research questions are based off the fourteen grand challenges developed by National Academy of Engineering to be completed within the next century. I have always a huge interest in all three of the topics covered by my research questions. These questions seem to be specific enough but through more research I will refine my question to reflect what my research paper is about.

Sterling College, "Sunflower Solar" 09/10/2011 via flickr.com Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

1. Is nuclear fusion still a potentially an economical way to make energy?
• Nuclear fusion has the opportunity to provide huge amounts of clean energy through the same process our sun creates heat for our planet. Finding more information about the economic feasibility of nuclear fusion will satisfy my curiosity about if the funding for fusion experiments is still flowing for this important research.
2. Are carbon dioxide sequestration methods such as iron fertilization in oceans the best way to get rid of the large build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
• Iron fertilization is a way to geoengineer the planet and without the proper research about how an increase in plankton levels will affect the environment. These questions need to be answered before this plan is pushed into action. Small, controlled experiments need to be done before more irreparable damage is done to our oceans.
3. Can solar updraft towers provide more energy using less land than traditional solar plant fields?
• Solar plants have come under extreme scrutiny in Arizona, especially last year when a large plant owned by SRP only created a fraction of its expected energy output. If solar plants with solar updraft towers can collect more solar energy and push that into the grid then potentially these towers can be constructed in under performing solar plants to boost output.