And how much you want to store.CWatters said:
My main question is what would be the best way to find out how much energy a 10000lb weight elevated at 20’ would produced if attached to a power generator.russ_watters said:
Well this is an easy one; Do you know the equation for gravitational potential energy? And a decent generator is about 90% efficient. And my refrigerator uses 140 W when on, and runs half the time. So can you calculate from that how long your system could run my refrigerator?charleymcdowell said:
1 Watt = 1 Joule/second. So you can have about half a Megawatt for a second, or 100 Watts for how long? (ignoring generator efficiency)charleymcdowell said:
Something like that, yeah. How long could you run Russ' refrigerator?charleymcdowell said:
No, remember 1 Watt = 1 Joule/second. Trying to come up with a unit "Watts/second" makes no sense.charleymcdowell said:
Yes, although I got a number more like 69 hours at 100 Watts. Can you show your calculation in detail?charleymcdowell said:
How do you go from about 30-60 hours to "forever"?charleymcdowell said:
The energy you put in (store in it) is the energy you get out (minus inefficiencies). So if you have a 500W solar panel with a good Maximum Power Point converter/controller to run your lifting motor, you can store about 500W multiplied by however many seconds = however many Joules per day, and then extract that energy out of the falling weight at night, for example.charleymcdowell said:
I made it about 33 mins not hours...charleymcdowell said:
OK I figured as much would’ve been a little too easy to solve that problem like that would probably be needing something Iike 300,000 pound weight to run a refrigeratorCWatters said:
Oops, thanks for fixing that!CWatters said:
berkeman said:
A small scale mechanical energy battery is a device that converts mechanical energy, such as motion or pressure, into electrical energy. It is typically used in small, portable devices and can be recharged by applying mechanical force.
A small scale mechanical energy battery works by using a piezoelectric material, which generates electricity when subjected to mechanical stress. When the material is compressed or bent, it creates a voltage difference that can be used to power a device.
Some advantages of using a small scale mechanical energy battery include its ability to be recharged by mechanical force, its small size and portability, and its lack of toxic materials. It also has a longer lifespan compared to traditional batteries and can be used in a wide range of applications.
A small scale mechanical energy battery is commonly used in wearable devices, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, as well as in small electronic devices like calculators and remote controls. It can also be used in medical devices, such as pacemakers, and in environmental sensors.
One limitation of a small scale mechanical energy battery is its lower energy density compared to traditional batteries. This means it may not be suitable for high-power applications. Additionally, the battery's efficiency can decrease over time with repeated use, so it may need to be replaced more frequently.
