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> Power extraction from a bundle of hot material is not a particularly unknown problem. It's in fact how every power plant on the planet works. River power spi
by jjtheblunt 4y ago
> Power extraction from a bundle of hot material is not a particularly unknown problem. It's in fact how every power plant on the planet works.
River power spinning a generator? Wind farm power? Are those counterexamples?
- falcor84 4y agoWell, these aren't "bundles" per-se, but as I understand it, both are relying on the Earth-as-a-system converting heat from the sun falling on particular areas into large-scale flows, which we humans can then hook into.
- manmal 4y agoGP was likely referring to power plants that burn things in order to heat up water to make steam in order to rotate an iron core encircled by copper wire. Using kinetic energy like wind or flowing water is a nice shortcut to the rotating iron core. Even nicer: Cut out the rotating iron core and directly produce voltage via photons hitting a semiconductor. I share GP‘s sentiment though that, in the end, there are remarkably few concepts at the bottom layer of electricity production. (There are other means of course, but they are not in use for power generation in amounts that can drive even one household, AFAIK)