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Rain Power
Use the force falling rain to somehow generate elecricity. | |
I don't know how or if it could work, but there may be someway to use rain to make energy. It would have to be in a place where it rains alot, like London or Seattle.
Maybe use a "vertical" dam, one that collects water on top, and funnels it through a turbine. Could also be used with snow that would
have to be melted first.
the piezo version
piezo_20rain_20plate
[jhomrighaus, Dec 29 2006]
Water drops generate electricity
http://amasci.com/emotor/kelvin.html
Lord Kelvin did this in the 1800s [csea, Dec 30 2006]
[link]
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Um not sure about the "idea" here but a case could be made that this is exactly what is done by a hydroelectric power project. |
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Now a Piezo-electric type thing might be different. |
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so essentially convert the water's potential
energy as it falls from the top of buildings
to the ground... via mini turbines in
drainpipes for example? |
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How to get the rain to make energy? Gee whizz, I wonder how that could be done? Let the rain fill reservoirs that drive hydroelectric turbines, duh. |
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Oh, you're new here - I apologize for my sarcasm. But it's best if you present ideas, rather than as requests for ideas, especially ones so Widely Baked as this. |
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Baked for so long it may predate bread itself. |
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[DrCurry] do we need to remind you of your manners everytime someone new joins? |
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FYI, I'm very nice to new people. It's the regulars I beat up on. |
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What would really be cool is if you could somehow capture the energy of the rain as it falls, and then use solar energy to lift it back into the sky. |
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What [DrCurry] said and what [Drcurry] said. |
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There is a way to accumulate charge (and hence, energy) from water drops, see [link]. But it's incredibly inefficient. |
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I posted this anno not two days ago on
the "peoplepower" idea! Maybe I should
post up this template as its own idea,
and then folks could link it up. |
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/For ideas such as this, it would be nice
to have a template setting out a
standard rationale, attached generators
etc. This could be preprinted by the HB
gremlin. The idea author only need
insert the currently underutilized source
of kinetic energy to complete the idea
(eg: rain, meteorites, falling dung,
masturbation, speedbump
compression, windblown trees, tectonic
plate motion, plane tires on landing
etc). |
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Such a template would allow these
ideas to be compared on their merits
alone, without intrusive prejudices
involving grammar or author./ |
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We have this already. It is hydro-electric power. The potential energy is tapped as a river of the rain moves to the ocean. |
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OK, well how about this? A building with a large roof area which channels the water into a single pipe with a water turbine to generate electricity and stores the water for use inside the building at the same time. Also, generate tiny amounts of electricity from the acidity of the rain, but maybe enough for a pocket calculator, who knows? |
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hmmm it's an easy calculation. An average of let's be indulgent and say 10,000 cubic centimeters of rain per sqare meter, fall from the roof of a 100 meter tall building with a surface of 10,000 square meters every year. Assuming 100% of the potential is converted into electrical power, that would mean m*g*h = (1,000*10,000)*9,81*100 ~= 10^(3+4+1+2) = 10^10watts = 10,000/3600 * 10^6 Watt*Hour ~= 3 MWh. That would save about 200dollars every year! Free popsicles! |
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