Quote:
Originally posted by KenWittlief
also, dont get hung up on power generation - this new electrical effect might lead to some new type of sensors - might make some new invention possible?
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Yes, I do admit that this being a new way to generate electricity is pretty neat.
However, mechanical energy tends to be a very low-density form of energy, when compared to chemical and atomic energy. While this type of power generation might be useful in the short term, I think micro fuel cells will win out in the long term. Hydrogen contains 120.7 MJ/kg in its chemical bonds. In order for 1 kg of water to contain the same kinetic energy as hydrogen, it would need to be moving at 15,000 m/s (or be pressurized enough to do so).
By comparison, the fusion of 1kg of deuterium (hydrogen with 1 extra neutron) produces roughly 1,350 GJ/kg of energy.