Scientists use Earth's rotational energy to generate electricity

[Shawn Knight]

In brief: A team of physicists believe it may be possible to harvest electricity using Earth's rotation through its own magnetic field, and they've published a paper involving a test that appears to validate the concept.

The study, published in the journal Physical Review Research, builds on work the team conducted back in 2016 and an idea dating back to at least 1832. Using a cylindrical shell made of manganese-zinc ferrite measuring 29.9 cm in length and positioned at a specific angle (57.5 degrees), a voltage of 18 microvolts was measured. Normally, any voltage created would be canceled out by electrons rearranging themselves but this wasn't the case with the hollow cylindrical shell.

When the cylinder was rotated 90 degrees, current went to zero. Rotated another 90 degrees, it returned but of opposite sign. Testing with a solid shell produced zero voltage at all orientations.

Experimental configuration

The physicists took every precaution to ensure no local stimuli influenced the test. The experiment took place in an underground, windowless laboratory with low 60 Hz and RF backgrounds, and under a limited temperature range. They were even able to reproduce the results at a second location, a residential building roughly 3.5 miles away from the lab. Also of note is the fact that the predicted effect disappeared when experiments were conducted in a Faraday cage.

The results are intriguing to say the least, but further study is needed.

Christopher F. Chyba, one of three authors of the study, admitted that the amount of electricity generated by the experiments was "miniscule" and that it might not even be possible to scale things up to a useful level. The tests were also conducted with a very specific set of requirements and materials.

The first thing that needs to happen, Chyba added, is that independent groups will need to reproduce – or rebut – their results. For example, testing in different environments could help determine if there was a hidden source of electricity that the researchers didn't account for.

Image credit: Unsplash Community

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Scientists use Earth's rotational energy to generate electricity

 

[Kirby1]

Sweet, they could one day power an LED light with tens or hundreds of these cylinders!

 

[psycros]

I'm no physicist, but if a Faraday cage nullified the effect then its probably not due to some quirk of gravity being exploited but rather fluctuations in the electromagnetic field. If that's the case then it *should* be possible to reproduce this in varying forms and scales once they nail down the exact parameters. At least that's how those kinds of breakthroughs worked in the past.

 

[VariableSpike]

Sweet, they could one day power an LED light with tens or hundreds of these cylinders!

I mean, they have said they realise the amount is miniscule and it might not scale up, but an interesting finding nevertheless

 

[Kirby1]

I'm no physicist, but if a Faraday cage nullified the effect then its probably not due to some quirk of gravity being exploited but rather fluctuations in the electromagnetic field. If that's the case then it *should* be possible to reproduce this in varying forms and scales once they nail down the exact parameters. At least that's how those kinds of breakthroughs worked in the past.

The magnetic field exists because of rotational energy.

 

[yRaz]

How did I know this was a Shawn artical?

rotational energy

The term is angular momentum

 

[Kirby1]

How did I know this was a Shawn artical?

The term is angular momentum

Those things are similar, but no. In this context, rotational energy is the correct term.

 

[yRaz]

Those things are similar, but no. In this context, rotational energy is the correct term.

Please, do elaborate

 

[Kirby1]

Please, do elaborate

Since you seem to think the tech spot author chose to use that term, easier to just show you that is not the case.

Harnessing Earth's Rotation for Electricity: A Groundbreaking Experiment by Princeton Physicists

For centuries, humans have sought innovative ways to generate energy, from harnessing the sun’s rays to tapping into the power of wind and water. Now, a ...

www.sciencenewstoday.org

If you need more info, just Google "rotational energy" or "Earth's rotational energy".

Haven't you ever seen the movie "The Core" lol.

 

[yRaz]

Since you seem to think the tech spot author chose to use that term, easier to just show you that is not the case.

Harnessing Earth's Rotation for Electricity: A Groundbreaking Experiment by Princeton Physicists

For centuries, humans have sought innovative ways to generate energy, from harnessing the sun’s rays to tapping into the power of wind and water. Now, a ...

www.sciencenewstoday.org

If you need more info, just Google "rotational energy" or "Earth's rotational energy".

Haven't you ever seen the movie "The Core" lol.

So I was asking you to explain the difference between rotational energy and angular momentum. don't just explain it to me, explain it for everyone who is going to read the comments section. really, I could use a good read.

In a game of "can't or won't" I'm going to file this under "can't"

 

[Kirby1]

So I was asking you to explain the difference between rotational energy and angular momentum. don't just explain it to me, explain it for everyone who is going to read the comments section. really, I could use a good read.

In a case of "can't or won't" I'm going to file this under "wont"

Kenetic angular momentum and rotational energy are almost overlapping terms, but since we are talking about a planet this would be an astrophysics thing, where the term rotational energy is often used to describe things like this.

Angular momentum is a more basic and simple term thst does not fully encompass the definition of rotational energy. Since it refer to an angle, and not a continuous rotation. Pretty simple. The Earth's core rotates, it doesn't travel at an angle.

 

[Inthenstus]

So, is psychics finally acknowledging Tesla’s discoveries but not giving credit to the original investor? This guy had such a rough life, called a psycho, technology burned to the ground, accused of creating super weapons..

 

[Kirby1]

So, is psychics finally acknowledging Tesla’s discoveries but not giving credit to the original investor? This guy had such a rough life, called a psycho, technology burned to the ground, accused of creating super weapons..

Heh, no.

Not even gonna try to unpack that one.

 

[New Day]

So, is psychics finally acknowledging Tesla’s discoveries but not giving credit to the original investor? This guy had such a rough life, called a psycho, technology burned to the ground, accused of creating super weapons..

Tesla focused (hah), as the stark majority in Science have focused, on frequency and energy. This ensures a Johne Wayne approach to the universe. However, as I have demonstrated in coitus by the timbre and articulation of my partner's voice and mine, a subtler model and method allows far more using far less.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Just give me some solar panels and a 200 kWh backup battery. That would be more than enough to let me disappear from the grid with my Cadillac Lyriq.

 

[daffy duck]

I'm no physicist, but if a Faraday cage nullified the effect then its probably not due to some quirk of gravity being exploited but rather fluctuations in the electromagnetic field. If that's the case then it *should* be possible to reproduce this in varying forms and scales once they nail down the exact parameters. At least that's how those kinds of breakthroughs worked in the past.

How on earth you managed to include gravity in this topic is amazing. The authors do not mention gravity at all in their paper and that's because it's has nothing to do whatsoever with "quirks" of gravity, whatever they are.

 

[scoffer]

Heh, no.

Not even gonna try to unpack that one.

Some days, you just know that it wasn't worth getting out of bed........LOL

 

[psycros]

How on earth you managed to include gravity in this topic is amazing. The authors do not mention gravity at all in their paper and that's because it's has nothing to do whatsoever with "quirks" of gravity, whatever they are.

Because the authors didn't NOT mention it and the term being used is "ROTATIONAL ENERGY." You might want to consider some remedial reading courses.

 

[Kirby1]

Any celestial object with rotational energy has that energy because of gravity. You guys are all on the mark.