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Spockie-Tech
Site Admin
Joined: 31 May 2004
Posts: 3160
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Not according to the laws of Thermodynamics, No.
As Jake said, according to out current theories, any closed system will eventually run down into a general dispersion of heat. It would be nice to find an exception to this rule, but I dont know that it has been done yet.
The key to "free" energy without violating the laws of thermodynamics is to source your energy from "outside" the closed system you're working in.
IE. Waterfall powered generators look like free energy, but in actual fact, the energy is indirectly coming from the sun, which evaporates the water from the sea (where it has a low gravitational energy content), moves it up to the highlands (adding to its potential gravitational energy) where it rains, and flows downhill again, so we can keep extracting energy from it.
Turn off the sun, and (ignoring the other minor inconveniences of your actions) eventually niagra falls wont fall anymore..
Ultimately, most "natural" energy sources can be traced back to being sun-powered. Solar, Photosynthesis, Life, Wind etc. Even fossil fuels are the accumulated residue of millions of years of sun-powered life.
Some other major sources of natural energy lying around are nuclear/radioactives, angular/kinetic/rotational (planets spinning), gravitational (tides, waves), Thermal (Planet Core heat). Theres an awful lot of hydrogen over on Jupiter that would be cool to have access to, but its *two* major gravity-wells away from us, which makes it difficult to scoop up.
Radioactives look tempting, but given the known effects of radioactivity on our form of life, until we can figure out a feasible long-term disposal solution to the waste products (Firing them into the sun would be good if we could manage it), then I'm not sure its a great way to go just yet. When we get fusion working I might change my mind. Fission just looks too messy from what I know of it. _________________ Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people
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Sun Sep 25, 2005 1:07 pm |
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