3 ms·
The ocean tidal power data center idea was a neat one.
by fragmede 4mo ago
The ocean tidal power data center idea was a neat one.
- cactusplant7374 4mo agoI agree. It has to be more viable than sending GPUs to space.
- wongarsu 4mo agoBoth are questionable. Tidal power is super neat in theory but we really struggle to make it viable in practice. GPUs in space are probably the lower risk option, but with even more questionable economics My preferred outlandish idea would be to put the data centers next to solar farms in the Sahara. I just don't know yet how we are going to make the batteries to power that through the night
- ssl-3 4mo agoPerhaps: At night, the solar-powered datacenter simply sleeps. (This doesn't fit every workload, but it can fit more than zero of them.)
- fragmede 4mo agoYou put mirrors in space so the sun shines at night in certain places.
- dfjosfasdfoj 4mo ago[dead]
- ericd 4mo agoI don’t see how that generates anywhere near enough power, think about the potential energy of a bucket of water going up and down that amount over the course of a day.
- vitally3643 4mo agoSure, but then multiply that by several million buckets. Tidal flows can represent a lot of water volume, way more than you'd expect
- ericd 4mo agoSeems way more material/capex intensive than solar/wind? Also, the sea is generally a brutal maintenance nightmare.
- nradov 4mo agoNeat how? Tidal power never made economic sense. There are only a limited number of places with enough tidal flow to even potentially make it viable. Any moving parts in the marine environment require frequent expensive maintenance due to growths and corrosion. Environmentalists will file lawsuits against anything that causes any damage anywhere, even if it would be a net environmental benefit compared to alternatives.
- fragmede 4mo agoOcean waves aren't going to stop at night or on a cloudy day, and don't care if the wind is blowing. Yes, tidal power has its own set of problems, but it doesn't have those ones. The more amazing power source I heard about though is the enhanced geothermal power that Fervo is doing. https://youtube.com/shorts/9ltVH8RQYFk https://youtube.com/shorts/9ltVH8RQYFk