What is worst is that if we look deeper, we find out that everything is just turning the mill
The only advance would be solar that was capable of not using a mill that have to turn.... Everything else? Just a fucking mill
this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2026
711 points (97.7% liked)
Science Memes
20864 readers
533 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Looks like the Dutchies were right in the first place
Nah, the dutchies also invented the stock market.
Solar and batteries (chemical). If we could harness lightening then that's come without mechanical energy as well. There's biological energy as well, we don't have a way to extract it directly as electricity but it exists
Mechanical and heat is just the most common way to get electricity for us at the moment.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Most new clean energy does not use boiling water.
Pushing electrons? Really? Man of your talents?
there is a power generation scheme that uses high temperature fuel cells. optimally it could run on hydrogen only, but because it runs hot, it is able to take almost any flammable gas, along with some steam, and it forms hydrogen internally, then oxidizes it. this alone generates bulk of electricity, but offgas is hot, so it goes to heat exchanger which boils water, which then turns steam turbine
That's just burning a hydrocarbon with extra steps.
it replaces gas turbine with a fuel cell, which is a good couple % more efficient than CCGT. still under development. there is also another variant where hot offgas is generated under pressure and expanded directly. no steam, same effect
Fun fact time oklo is the only known instance of a naturally occurring fission reactor.
Wow, that's mental
load more comments
(1 replies)
Face it, all power is water, all stories are Hamlet, all food is grass, and all music is Pachelbel's Canon. Reality's budget is running out and it's having to reuse assets.
I'd love to see someone try to explain how As You Like It is Hamlet
Both explore how characters must mask their true identities to survive a corrupt patriarchal system managed by a villainous uncle?
Modern society as asset flip
I love the description of PV to be basically 'outsourced fusion'
Boiling water is the only reasonable way to turn heat into electricity.
how is solar water based?
Actually there's also the mirror based solar which boils water in a central column.
It's cooler than that; they use the heat to make molten salt, then use a heat exchanger to boil water with that, the salt gets stupid hot and holds energy into the night.
Sounds like it's hotter than that not cooler
coincidentally, just saw a youtube short with more crazy shit
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/l3CFqCgmumw
they mix three salts together to control the melting temperature so it's still hot but not as hard on the equipment.
its basically a bowl of water made of solar panels, i mean its not a bad idea at all but its nothing crazy either, probably a bitch to maintain tho.
Photovoltaic panels don't turn heat into electricity. It turns light into electricity.
load more comments
(3 replies)
Solar and wind biggest energy revolution is not needing to boil water
Hydro doesn't boil water, either. Just moves it around.
Solar uses radiation not just heat.
I’d like to thank some post on Mastadon, which really boiled down how and what a nuclear power plant works to provide power.. the little things.
You've probably heard of an internal combustion engine, like what power cars and airplanes. Well there's such a thing as an external combustion engine - a steam engine. A steam engine just needs some source of high pressure steam, the source of heat you find to boil the necessary water is almost a separate problem. You could use a wood fire, a coal fire, an oil fire, a natural gas fire. I've seen a small steam engine that runs on a tea candle. Heat from a geothermal vent, concentrated sunlight, or nuclear power.
How about a diesel engine? Large oceangoing vessels with 2-stroke diesel engines the size of a duplex put out a lot of waste heat, plenty enough to boil water and run a steam turbine engine. The diesel engine provides main propulsion, the steam engine powered by its exhaust provides electricity. Ships with such a system can shut down their aux engines while underway saving tons of fuel per voyage.
Can't improve on perfection.
Burgeoning supercritical CO2 turbine technology would like a word.
view more: next ›