3 ms·
I think you're probably right for the most part, but a few other thoughts occurred to me for energy sources not mentioned in the article: 1) Cryovulcanism is s
by Figs 10y ago
I think you're probably right for the most part, but a few other thoughts occurred to me for energy sources not mentioned in the article:
1) Cryovulcanism is suspected to be present on Titan. Maybe it would be possible to tap into geothermal energy there?
2) Given that there's an atmosphere, we could fly balloons there. It might be possible to use high-altitude solar panels to collect energy with some sort of drone balloon swarm. Probably still not all that practical for a dense population, but maybe it could support some sort of sparse drone rancher scenario?
3) Along with wind as you mentioned, there's also the possibility of hydroelectric power as there are rivers, lakes, and rain on Titan. Bearing in mind that the "hydro" there is hydrocarbon sludge, of course.
Yeah, probably not all that practical of a place to live, but fun to think about. :)
- tracker1 10y agoI'm not sure of any generators that would be effective at colder than antarctic temps for use with hydro... I mean, most complex materials will become brittle and shatter. It's not a problem anyone I'm aware of is really trying to solve.
- Roboprog 10y agoI think for a "titanothermal" system, you use the right density hydrocarbon as the working fluid in the "boiler", and 3-D print the components out of H2O :-) Except water ice isn't a very good heat conductor, so the evaporator / condenser might have to be something else. Ice could be used for other parts, though.