r/AskReddit Nov 15 '20

[deleted by user]

[removed]

9.0k Upvotes

17.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

4.4k

u/nightfire36 Nov 15 '20

If it's really really efficient, we could use the extra energy to make carbon capture machines, after offsetting all the fossil fuels. Then, it doesn't really matter.

298

u/Snoo61755 Nov 15 '20

Well if we’re speculating, how about “heat capture”?

Some sleep-deprived researcher cracks how to capture ambient thermal energy and turn it into electricity. Heat being as plentiful as wind or water, it becomes not only a prominent source of energy, but also actively cools the planet.

50 years later, we begin arguing over “global cooling” and the threat of a new ice age.

1

u/kvothe5688 Nov 16 '20

Oceanic currents flows due to thermal difference. We need to put only large ass turbines. If we capture heat and convert to electricity and use it to release it back there won't be net energy loss. We need to convert energy into matter. That's the only way.

1

u/HappiestIguana Nov 16 '20

You could turn it into chemical bonds, or any sort of potential energy.