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RE: Is The Oil Industry Suppressing Alternative Fuels? We can run an engine on tap water!
"Tesla envisioned a very long bundle of metal rods, extending from the earth to outer space. The earth is warmer than outer space so heat would be conducted up the bars along with an electric current. Then, all that would be needed is a very long power cord to connect the two ends of the metal bars to a motor. The motor would continue running until the earth was cooled to the temperature of outer space."
that would probably work, but the question is how efficient would it be?
space and earth are about 60 miles apart vertically and a rod of a certain width can only conduct a certain amount of heat.
It would take either some very large rods or many masses of them.
I think we have many places on earth where we can find temperature differentials that are closer together
A lot of people heat their homes with heat pumps that work on a similar principle but by putting pipes into the earth or a body of water where it is warmer.
Thermoelectric generators that generate energy when exposed to different temperatures have been around for a long time, that's a real technology that you can experiment with at home. the problem is they are not that efficient. They are used in cheap 12v electric coolers.
https://www.amazon.com/Thermoelectric-Generator-Peltier-Cooler-Demo/dp/B003FJ6I0Y
none of these things are free energy though, Tesla would be exploiting the energy in the heat of the earth like geothermal plants do now.