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Originally posted by Raideur
thermovolatics are rather interesting, but they dont scale up to the powerplant size systems you need to power cities.
Same problem with radiothermal generators, good for small projects, but arent going to move mountains.
Originally posted by Frosty
I have always wondered if Foucault's pendulum could act as ameans of obtaining electricity by converting the energy of the pendulum, which is powered by the movement of the earth, into electricity.
Originally posted by grunt2
fuel cells can be aplicated in high power generators???, i mean , there is a cheaper catalyser than the platinum??? fuel cells also could operate with carbon or coal???, i mean if is pulverized enought??? -or mixed with water, but it sound too dirty-
Originally posted by grad_student
Originally posted by Frosty
I have always wondered if Foucault's pendulum could act as ameans of obtaining electricity by converting the energy of the pendulum, which is powered by the movement of the earth, into electricity.
Actually I designed such a device (on paper) when I was laid off after the market crash (and bored). Turns out that you will eventually have to restart the pendulum as it will gradually lose force due to friction.
However, if you had a very good (virtually frictionless) bearing to swing the pendulum from, and then had some magnetic charging devices that would generate current as the pendulum swung over them, then you could indeed generate power. Not alot of power, but some indeed, and gravity is free. You would just have to restart the pendulum periodically.
Perhaps if you built a REALLY big pendulum you could get alot of momentum going.
You can also carry out a similar process with wave motion (tides coming in and out from moon's gravitational pull).