But not all electricity generation is based on boiling water. Wind, hydro and tidal don’t need to generate large amounts of heat to make steam that spins a turbine, they just use natural movement to do so.
Yeah but those heat engines don’t rely on spinning things inside a magnetic field. Heat on one side, less heat on the other side, and you have current. No motors.
All power generation is either solar or ‘make thing spin’, unless we’re including RTGs and Piezoelectrics.
But not all electricity generation is based on boiling water. Wind, hydro and tidal don’t need to generate large amounts of heat to make steam that spins a turbine, they just use natural movement to do so.
Yes, make thing spin
All of these are in some way heat engines
Yeah but those heat engines don’t rely on spinning things inside a magnetic field. Heat on one side, less heat on the other side, and you have current. No motors.
even photovoltaics are heat engines in broad definition
We’re all heat engines on this blessed day if you broaden the definition enough.
Peltier Effect?
That’s the principle used by RTGs right?
Solar thermal power…
Yes? Makes things spin.