Fusion power at home, how small science will defeat big science!

reply to post by ManFromEurope


You seem to have a better understanding of the matter than myself. I still consider our Earth to be a perpetual motion device, least until our star burns out. 4 billion years might not be forever but for Human beings intents and purposes it sure is.

How would using the Earths natural power over time drain the planet? I thought the Sun continuously recharges or planet with solar radiation? Imagine if we could harvest the power of lightning, estimates say lightning strikes the earth 8,640,000 per day! How many Kwh would that get us if we could somehow tap and store the power unleashed? A lot of dam ergs i imagine.

Need better capacitors all the same.

reply to post by andy06shake


Let's suppose an experimenter comes up with a means of extracting and converting energy from the earth's rotation/orbit then consider the ultimate cost if such tech ever took off :O

Originally posted by andy06shake
reply to post by ManFromEurope

 

You seem to have a better understanding of the matter than myself. I still consider our Earth to be a perpetual motion device, least until our star burns out. 4 billion years might not be forever but for Human beings intents and purposes it sure is.

Yes, it is perpetual for us humans, but not in an eternity. And if we would drain power out of this orbit, we would move earth closer to the sun.

How would using the Earths natural power over time drain the planet? I thought the Sun continuously recharges or planet with solar radiation? Imagine if we could harvest the power of lightning, estimates say lightning strikes the earth 8,640,000 per day! How many Kwh would that get us if we could somehow tap and store the power unleashed? A lot of dam ergs i imagine.

Need better capacitors all the same.

edit on 26-2-2013 by andy06shake because: (no reason given)

Of course, as I wrote, solar energy is inexhaustible. Yet, we would still have to "harvest" that energy. Using materials which are produced in a not-very-environmentally-friendly way, yet.

And there are other problems: solar photovoltaic modules (I will call them PV-cells from now on) are the more efficient the cooler they are.
If pv-cells are hotter than 25°C, they start losing efficiency pretty fast - of course, they do still produce power, but not that much as before. Therefore, even if you could find a peaceful place in the middle of the desert, you wouldn't be very satisfied with the harvested power - a clear day in greenland might produce better yields..

Okay, anyway: renewable energies For The Win!

reply to post by ManFromEurope


"Okay, anyway: renewable energies For The Win!"

Agreed!

I still think we need to entertain the notion that we may find a near inexhaustible form of power in the not to distant future. Humanity demands it after all. LoL