Comment on Japanese Power Plant Turns Saltwater Into Electricity
lemmylommy@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Combine salt and water to create electricity to power a desalination plant that removes salt from water. I am sure there is more to it, but the article sounds like it’s one of those mad perpetual free energy schemes that defy the laws of physics.
They are just re-capturing some of the energy the system spent turning salt water into fresh. Because that results in extremely salty brine water waste, you can get some energy as it gets diluted back down to sea water concentration.
There no “new” energy in the system, it’s just wasting less.
Isn’t efficiency just getting closer and closer to a perpetual machine? Using science and the physics to the absolute limit!
rumschlumpel@feddit.org 1 month ago
If they’re mostly using electricity or even combustion to evaporate the water (as opposed to sunlight), there’s no chance that the concentrated saltwater creates more electricity than it costs.
Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
They’re using brine from a reverse osmosis plans and wastewater, so yes, that is indeed the case.
rumschlumpel@feddit.org 1 month ago
Far cry from “perpetual free energy scheme”, though.
Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
I don’t think anyone claimed it was.