4 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Ask Anything Wednesday - Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Science
The problem is that you get a very low efficiency with thermal machines. A coal plant for example has a efficiency of around 40%. I suppose the process of burning steel would be similiarily efficient.
The maximum efficiency of thermal engines is deternined by the laws of thermodynamics, more specificially by the carnot efficiency. Basicially you need an indefinetely high burning point and a surounding temperarure of absolutely zero to have a efficiency of 100%.
In reality the surrounding temperature and the burning tenperature are not that far apart, wich results in a relativly low efficiency.
Comment by dnsteele at 26/04/2023 at 18:10 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
We can harvest far more energy from the environment than we need. Solar, wind etc can give us all the power we need, just not necessarily when we want it. It seems to me that efficiency of storage is less important than capacity.