Instead of using wind farms and the like to generate electricity, could we use the oceans’ currents?
Saturday, September 26th, 2009 at
5:00 pm
Or, instead of using solar heat, why not use the heat from volcanos, or underground lava streams to create electricity? Would it be possible? I've often wondered this.
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Tagged with: electricity • lava streams • solar heat • volcanos
Filed under: Wind Farms
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Those energy sources are already being used to some degree. Geothermal energy is being used more and more to heat houses in cold climates. If you have ever been on a sailboat in the Gulf Stream you know the power of that ocean current. The Labrador current is another very strong one. We are in the early stages of uses these forms of energy,but they will be used more and more in the future. At present, the technology is still in the developmental stage and quite expensive.
I hope this helps.
yes, and they already do..
it’s not practical for widespread use.
wow good ideas. it would probably be just as effective or more even but also really costly.
In Japan, they do use the oceans energy to generate electricity…the other stuff – I don’t know…
You may want to stop talking now and patent.
Yes, I think someone even suggested using the ocean waves.
Yeah, it’s already being done. In Iceland, they use a lot of geothermal energy for heat, and ocean tides have also been used.
Actually the ocean stream generator exists, but not every coast is good for this kind of generator, so they are rare, and not very efficient.(try searching it on yahoo, or google).I don`t know about the lava though, I think it would be to dangerous, what if the volcano errupted?
they have a few tide electricity plants but they dont make much electricity. and geothermal electricity is widespread in iceland
it’s all a matter of availability of raw energy sources, cost of production and available technology.
wind and sun are everywhere, the technology is advanced, yet it’s cheaper to burn fuels.
in some places where heat from magma sources is available, usually as steam, it is being used for the production of electricity.
there are some places where tidal flow and waves are used as well.
For the first type of generating electricity, there are ideas in how to harness the Oceans’ currents, but I haven’t heard of any being been implemented. There are however, tide generators. As for using volcanoes and lava, nothing that extreme is used, however there are geothermal generators. Essentially they use the heat that’s underground of a very geologically active zone to produce steam which in turn is used to spin electrical generators. Iceland is a good example of a country that has as it’s main source of energy geothermal power.
it’s already being done.
hydro electric and geothermal plants are already in existence
There are many ways of generating electricity that have not been tapped into, mainly due to cost efficiency. We still are in the infant stages of mechanical energy, Chemical energy, electromagnet energy and heat energy. We cannot depend on the private sector to put enough money into this due to the bottom line. We need much more of government funds on the order of the Manhattan project. We need to be energy dependent of any outside countries within 5 years. Ocean waves could be used for a source to create Mechanical energy. We could use solar magnification to heat distilleries to make fuel from corn, grass, sugar cane, kudzu etc. We need to find longer lasting and lighter batteries. We need to manufacturer ALL energy using products to the maximum bang for the watt. I believe most of this could be accomplished if we really set our minds to doing it.
Check out http://www.bluenergy.com. They’re based in Vancouver and they’re into using the energy of tidal currents by installing rotors on the sea floor. Apart from a ban on trawling in the area, it doesn’t interfere with any other activities. The power generated goes ashore by DC cable. Geothermal heat can be exploited even in non-active places like Britain. Thousands of feet down, it’s hot even where there’s no volcanic activity. You drill two very deep holes, set off explosions at the bottom to fracture the rock, pump cold water down one hole and hot water or steam comes out the other.
Excellent ideas!
I believe that Japanese engineers installed the first ocean-powered generator.
I know that here in the US you can find electric generators working with Gayser power.
Researchers are working in producing and storing electrical power generated by people walking in the street.