Harnessing Earth's Alternate Power: Boiling Water & Turbines

[bassplayer142]

Couldn't we tap into the mantle of the Earth and boil water to turn turbines. I'm sure there are places on Earth where lava can come up to the surface. Either that dig in a some shallow places. I don't know jack about the Earth's crust thickness or the impact on the Earth itself.

 

[chroot]

Yes. It's called geothermal energy, and it's in use in many places already.

- Warren

 

[Weave]

This is going intoa tangent. But what about N. Telsa's idea for harnessing energy through the Earth's plasma? Why hasn't anyone done anything about that?

 

[bassplayer142]

Ohhh, I always thought geothermal energy had something to do with compost or something. How come everything I think up has alreadly been thought of...:)

 

[Crosson]

I am a 1.5 hour drive away from a 30 megawatt geothermal plant, it doesn't involve a lot of drilling, the heat escapes through vents naturally in some ares. Along with hydroelectric this is one of the most reliable alternative fuels.

 

[russ_watters]

This is going intoa tangent. But what about N. Telsa's idea for harnessing energy through the Earth's plasma? Why hasn't anyone done anything about that?

Because it is gibberish. The closest idea to coherent I've heard attributed to Tesla was using the Earth's magnetic field to set up a resonance in a coil (nothing to do with plasma). But the fact of the matter is that the Earth's magnetic field is so weak it can't be used to drive a transformer.

The interesting things to come out of that line of research were in radio communications, not power generation/transmission.

 

[russ_watters]

bassplayer - look here: http://www.energy.rochester.edu/is/reyk/

 

[Xezlec]

Ohhh, I always thought geothermal energy had something to do with compost or something.

Are you thinking of biofuels?

How come everything I think up has alreadly been thought of...:)

Because you alone aren't smarter than millions of scientists and engineers combined, maybe?

Because it is gibberish. The closest idea to coherent I've heard attributed to Tesla was using the Earth's magnetic field to set up a resonance in a coil (nothing to do with plasma). But the fact of the matter is that the Earth's magnetic field is so weak it can't be used to drive a transformer.

Someone told me Tesla got all his power by "sucking it out of the atmosphere" somehow with giant towers, and that this caused all kinds of crazy light shows around his laboratory.

I never bothered to look it up. Where did he get all the power for his gadgets? I mean, he was living before and during the beginning of electrification, so he must have had some private power source.