Future Source of Energy

[TachyonShield]

<p>Ok I have a question, would it be possible to build a large ring around the Earths equator in orbit that orbits at a different speed to the Earths spin that can harness electricity by coils passing through the Earths Magnetic field? this power then can be beamed down via Microwaves?</p><p>Like This:</p><p><br /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/11/7/cb8cd750-ed18-4461-87fd-ad89f544f10f.Medium.jpg" alt="" /><br />&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>------------------------------------------------------------------ </p><p>In 1 Billion years the Earths Oceans will evaporate and as a result the Earth will be scorched from a greenhouse effect. We'd better get off this rock sooner rather than later.</p> </div>

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><em>Ok I have a question, would it be possible to build a large ring around the Earths equator in orbit that orbits at a different speed to the Earths spin that can harness electricity by coils passing through the Earths Magnetic field? this power then can be beamed down via Microwaves?</em> <br />Posted by <strong>TachyonShield</strong></DIV><br /><br />Let's assume that the materials and engineering could be done to construct your ring.&nbsp; Let's say it's spinning about and generating electrcity which is beamed back to Earth.&nbsp; Now what happens ?&nbsp; </p><p>There's a drag on the ring due to it's interaction with the Earth's magnetic field.&nbsp; Therefore unless some other external force is applied to the ring to keep it's speed constant, it'll eventually slow down to where it's synchronized with the Earth.&nbsp; And at that point it'll stop producing electricity.&nbsp; The power needed to produce the force to fight the drag could be more efficiently used to generate the electricity in a more direct manner I'd say.&nbsp; </p><p>Another problem is that the ring will need some method to keep it stable in it's "orbit" around the Earth.&nbsp; Gravity will not suffice.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask not what your Forum Software can do do on you,</font></p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask it to, please for the love of all that's Holy, <strong>STOP</strong> !</font></p> </div>

 

[TachyonShield]

But the effect of gravity in orbit is almost non existent, even if they did slow it down the slow down would be only minuscule surely since theres no gravity, or at least not as much. As for keeping the ring orbiting, any form of propulsion for the ring would require less energy input then if it were on the surface of the Earth, so even if we still utilised liquid hydrogen propulsion we'd get more power from the ring then what we put in, also we could utilise the Moons supply of Helium 3, the Earth would technically be pollution free and the ring would be clean energy. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>------------------------------------------------------------------ </p><p>In 1 Billion years the Earths Oceans will evaporate and as a result the Earth will be scorched from a greenhouse effect. We'd better get off this rock sooner rather than later.</p> </div>

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><em>But the effect of gravity in orbit is almost non existent, even if they did slow it down the slow down would be only minuscule surely since theres no gravity, or at least not as much. As for keeping the ring orbiting, any form of propulsion for the ring would require less energy input then if it were on the surface of the Earth, so even if we still utilised liquid hydrogen propulsion we'd get more power from the ring then what we put in, also we could utilise the Moons supply of Helium 3, the Earth would technically be pollution free and the ring would be clean energy. </em><br />Posted by <strong>TachyonShield</strong></DIV></p><p>The drag I've mentioned isn't due to gravity (nor atmosphere) but due to extracting energy from the Earth's magnetic field.&nbsp; Moving a conductor in a magnetic field to induce electricity to flow requires a force.&nbsp; Your ring in orbit will require some force to keep producing energy.&nbsp; Your ring converts this energy into electricity just like a wind powered generator converts the energy from the blowing wind into electricity. No wind, no energy.&nbsp; Now if you get the propulsion&nbsp;from the Moon, maybe it'll be a good idea but you'd better be sure of those He3 amounts before you go to all the trouble of building your ring.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask not what your Forum Software can do do on you,</font></p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask it to, please for the love of all that's Holy, <strong>STOP</strong> !</font></p> </div>

 

[bobw]

<p><font color="#c0c0c0">TachyonShield<br /><br /></font><font color="#000000">mee_n_mac is right.&nbsp; There is a simple experiment you can do to demonstrate it.&nbsp; Get a small DC motor like $2.00 at radio shack or out of some broken toy.&nbsp; Spin the shaft... it is pretty easy and since the armature is rotating through the magnetic field you are generating voltage.</font></p><p>You aren't extracting power from it though because your generator has no load, it isn't lighting up a bulb or anything.&nbsp; Twist the two wires together so a current will flow like you are actually using the voltage you generate.&nbsp; Spin the shaft.&nbsp; I'm pretty sure you will be amazed at how hard it is to spin.&nbsp; Imagine how hard you would have to spin it to put out a couple megawatts. &nbsp;</p><p>Your ring will stop spinning pretty fast if you can get any power out of it at all.&nbsp; The earth's magnetic field isn't very strong. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Pooua]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>But the effect of gravity in orbit is almost non existent,</DIV></p><p>This is a common misconception. The gravitational pull from Earth orbit is about half of what it is at Earth's surface. The reason the astronauts are in a micro-gravity environment is that they are in free-fall. If they were standing on a platform fixed to Earth's surface, they would weigh about half their surface weight.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>even if they did slow it down the slow down would be only minuscule surely since theres no gravity, or at least not as much.</DIV> </p><p>As mentioned, the ring would slow down due to Earth's magnetic field acting as a brake on it.&nbsp; </p><p>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>As for keeping the ring orbiting, any form of propulsion for the ring would require less energy input then if it were on the surface of the Earth</DIV></p><p>The propulsion force would have to equal at least the force of the magnetic field, which would be slightly greater than the energy derived from the ring. What is more, if the ring got a little off-center while it was spinning around Earth, the stronger gravity on one side would pull that side in to Earth, eventually crashing it to the ground, regardless of how fast it was spinning. </p>

 

[richalex]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>TachyonShieldmee_n_mac is right.&nbsp; There is a simple experiment you can do to demonstrate it.&nbsp; Get a small DC motor like $2.00 at radio shack or out of some broken toy.&nbsp; Spin the shaft... it is pretty easy and since the armature is rotating through the magnetic field you are generating voltage.You aren't extracting power from it though because your generator has no load, it isn't lighting up a bulb or anything.&nbsp; Twist the two wires together so a current will flow like you are actually using the voltage you generate.&nbsp; Spin the shaft.&nbsp; I'm pretty sure you will be amazed at how hard it is to spin.&nbsp; Imagine how hard you would have to spin it to put out a couple megawatts. </DIV><br /><br />I'd be really impressed if you could get a few megawatts out of a $2 Radio Shack motor! &nbsp;</p>

 

[bearack]

<font color="#ff0000"><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The drag I've mentioned isn't due to gravity (nor atmosphere) but due to extracting energy from the Earth's magnetic field.&nbsp; Moving a conductor in a magnetic field to induce electricity to flow requires a force.&nbsp; Your ring in orbit will require some force to keep producing energy.&nbsp; Your ring converts this energy into electricity just like a wind powered generator converts the energy from the blowing wind into electricity. No wind, no energy.&nbsp; Now if you get the propulsion&nbsp;from the Moon, maybe it'll be a good idea but you'd better be sure of those He3 amounts before you go to all the trouble of building your ring. <br />Posted by mee_n_mac</DIV></font><br /><br /><p style="margin:0in0in0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:Verdana"><font size="3">What about reverse polarity?&nbsp; Similar to bullet trains for kinetic energy?</font></span></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><br /><img id="06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/14/06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /></p> </div>

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><em>What about reverse polarity?&nbsp; Similar to bullet trains for kinetic energy?</em> <br />Posted by <strong>bearack</strong></DIV><br /><br />I'm not sure what you're asking. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask not what your Forum Software can do do on you,</font></p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask it to, please for the love of all that's Holy, <strong>STOP</strong> !</font></p> </div>

 

[bearack]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I'm not sure what you're asking. <br />Posted by mee_n_mac</DIV><br /><br /><font size="2">A bullet train works by using propulsion magnets reverse polarity.&nbsp; Could you use the same concept (in a much, MUCH grander proportion) using the Earths magnetic field?</font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><br /><img id="06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/14/06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /></p> </div>

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><em>A bullet train works by using propulsion magnets reverse polarity.&nbsp; Could you use the same concept (in a much, MUCH grander proportion) using the Earths magnetic field?</em> <br />Posted by <strong>bearack</strong></DIV><br /><br />If I'm understanding you correctly then it's yes and no.&nbsp; Yes the coils (or whatever) that are used to "harvest" energy from the rings rotation through the Earth's magnetc field could also be used to power the ring, either to speed it up or, perhaps, to alter it's position to null out orbital pertubations.&nbsp; The thing is you won't be getting power out of the ring when you do this and you still need an external power input to the ring to make the ring be stable and not slow down.&nbsp; If you pull energy from the ring, it slows down. You can't pull energy from the ring and then use this amount&nbsp;to keep the speed up.&nbsp; Because of losses&nbsp;the ring will&nbsp;always be slowing down even as you pull energy out of it as you attempt to speed the ring back up by feeding it back in.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>EDIT : That wasn't very clear was it.&nbsp; How about an example.&nbsp; You use the ring to send power to Earth for 1 hour. There's drag and the ring slows down as a result. You use it for another hour to store power to send back to the ring later.&nbsp; There's drag and the ring slows down as a result. You now want to send power back into the ring to speed it up.&nbsp; Even if you were 99.9% efficient in capturing the power and storing it and then the ring is 99.9% efficient in transforming this energy into motion, after an hour of speeding the ring back up you're out of ssyour stored energy and still just a bit slower than you were after the 1'st hour.&nbsp; You can't send energy to Earth and not expect the ring to slow down ... unless you add in energy from outside the ring/Earth system.&nbsp; I think that's now clearer.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>-----------------------------------------------------</p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask not what your Forum Software can do do on you,</font></p><p><font color="#ff0000">Ask it to, please for the love of all that's Holy, <strong>STOP</strong> !</font></p> </div>