Limitless Green Energy?

1. Jan 23, 2010

GRDixon

The Earth rotates in inertial space. The amount of rotational kinetic energy is enormous ... millions of mankind's annual consumption. Is there any kind of apparatus, perhaps one based on gyros, that could tap into this energy?

2. Jan 25, 2010

Buckleymanor

3. Jan 25, 2010

GRDixon

4. Jan 25, 2010

willem2

I don't this can work at all. To use the kinetic energy of the earth we must slow it down, and that can only be done by transferring the angular momentum of the earth to something else (the moon for tidal energy).

5. Jan 27, 2010

pallidin

Gyros? Well, the energy required to sustain their action exceeds the energy able to be extracted from this or any other arrangement.

6. Jan 27, 2010

Pythagorean

From an engineering perspective, I think it would be rather difficult to get the other portion of the contraption to stand still (i.e. you have to have something that's not rotating with the Earth to take advantage of the Earth's rotation). Good luck with that!

I hadn't considered Foucault. Neat idea.

7. Jan 27, 2010

fluidistic

Anyway, if you change the period of rotation of the Earth, many species wouldn't adapt and die.

8. Jan 27, 2010

Pythagorean

Well, I wouldn't deny that's true for a significant change in the period. But at what point do we consider it significant?

9. Jan 27, 2010

cesiumfrog

What about conservation of angular momentum?

Try tidal power.

10. Jan 27, 2010

Pythagorean

Another good one! This one is already being used too! There's several different engineering approaches to it.

11. Jan 28, 2010

Buckleymanor

Don't imagine that there would be any significant change in the period of rotation if you consider the mass of the Earth.
It might actualy be speeding up at present due to the amount of hydro electric scheems in the northern hemisphere.
I imagine any slowing would be counteracted by rainfall, by angular momentum when it falls or dams.

12. Jan 28, 2010

Staff: Mentor

...anyone going to attempt to quantify the issue...?

13. Jan 28, 2010

willem2

If you do not use the moon in some way, the energy you can gain is exactly zero, since there's no way to reduce the angular momentum of the earth.

14. Jan 28, 2010

Zula110100100

How's that? doesn't driving a car give angular acceleration the the earth?

15. Jan 29, 2010

willem2

And it takes it away again as soon as you stand still again. The angular momentum of the earth with the car remains the same.

16. Jan 29, 2010

jambaugh

As the Earth rotates, the tidal bulge follows a bit behind the Earth-Sun line (neglecting the moon) and so there is a tidal torque on the Earth reducing its rotational angular momentum and converting some of that to orbital angular momentum. You can alter the angular momentum of the Earth but not of the Earth-Sun or Earth-Sun-Moon system except by exterior effects (e.g. Jupiter).

As mentioned tapping tidal energy is tapping the rotational kinetic energy of the Earth. Tapping tidal energy would imperceptibly but quantifiably increase the lag of the tidal bulge, increasing the rate of tidal slowing of the Earth's rotation.