Questions tagged [power-sources]
For question about anything that can be used as a power source for a planet or civilization.
111
questions
2
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3answers
189 views
Harvesting energy from rain as efficiently as possible
The goal is to engineer the most efficient way(s) to harvest energy from rainfall using moderately advanced technology. My idea was to use this as widespread power source for a race of people that ...
0
votes
0answers
43 views
How fast can an alien laser cannon be charged with a magnetic field?
I have some alien laser cannons that I pulled out of a perpetual hurricane. They're cylinders that are two feet long and one foot across. They can only be charged by magnetodynamic coupling - that is, ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
What Internal design would allow a spacecraft to be powered only by water?
Spacecrafts that harvest ice are not out of the ordinary, there’s even research being conducted about steam powered spacecrafts (steampunk spaceships anyone??). But I want to engineer a ship that uses ...
0
votes
1answer
51 views
What design adaptions would a wind turbine require to operate in a perpetual hurricane?
Never mind why there's a perpetual hurricane. This is about extracting power from it.
Let's say that there's a perpetual hurricane that constantly "hovers" in one location - say, over ...
1
vote
6answers
203 views
What could cause wind power to not be viable
Is there any sort of reason that wind power could become more difficult to use/utilize?
I'm trying to think of reasoning that a desperate earth based society would switch to using extremely reckless ...
2
votes
3answers
522 views
There is a material that could be used like the Dune's Stillsuit to generate electricity by friction?
Well, even though I used Dune Stillsuit as an example, the idea I have is nothing related to the recycled water they need, just to generate electricity constantly through their journey to keep them ...
6
votes
6answers
2k views
How do I make my soldiers jump higher
I need a mechanical way to make my soldiers who are combat explorers in a forest to be able to jump higher than normal. They will be equipped with a variety of weapons from normal hand held weapons up ...
6
votes
5answers
1k views
How could androids power themselves?
I'm experimenting with a sci-fi setting where human-like mechanical androids are the dominant "lifeform." Though the setting is based on science, androids live in tribal societies. For the ...
15
votes
9answers
4k views
Vampires as a never-ending source of mechanical energy
Background
Vampires are the usual sort. They sleep in coffins during the day and awake when it gets dark. Apart from the normal ways of killing them, they are immortal and so, despite their thirst for ...
asked Feb 11 at 16:55
chasly - supports Monica
46.4k12 gold badges138 silver badges288 bronze badges
3
votes
2answers
123 views
Would redox flow batteries be good for the development of all-electric armored vehicles?
I am in the process of creating a somewhat hard military sci fi setting and was enamored by the idea of all-electric armored vehicles for a future war.
For this I decided to used Redox Flow Batteries:
...
1
vote
1answer
99 views
energy sources for intergalactic travel in fictitious universe with similar laws of known physics but different evolution
This question differs slightly from the many excellent threads on topics similar to this one. In the fictional universe I am contemplating, the same laws of physics apply as in ours, but because of a ...
1
vote
4answers
126 views
How effective/practical would giant batteries be, both in power and construction?
I was thinking about a source of power for one of my civilizations. Chemical power, specifically giant batteries, have always been A cool idea to me. I want to know how realistic this is. I want it/...
10
votes
5answers
872 views
Can an open canal loop transmit net positive power over a distance effectively?
I’m designing a society in a hostile climate which transports its energy from remote stations to a city with an absolute minimum of maintenance and infrastructure requirements. The concept is to use a ...
4
votes
6answers
1k views
Could medieval people make an electric motor?
It was suggested that a medieval people, with a readily available source of electricity, would develop electric motors and horseless carriages. I had thought these would be too complicated to make ...
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votes
2answers
182 views
Horror World Problems [closed]
I have left Super Dee behind, and is now focusing to truly build a world. In my new world, there are skeletons, vampires, zombies, witches, etc. Everywhere, people bring guns in their backpacks to ...
2
votes
2answers
46 views
How can a summoning circle dilute the effects of radiation over a wide surface area?
Summoning circles are a way to communicate with entities within the ethereal realm from beyond the veil. A mage uses the summoning circle as a bridge to bring the entity from its realm and ...
4
votes
5answers
111 views
Alternative power that produces smoke
I have a post-apocalyptic world that is devoid of plant and animal life, although because of underground bunkers containing stored chemical materials and underground gardening,reservoirs,and mining, ...
0
votes
0answers
41 views
Fossil fuels production optimization
I'm sure that a jungle planet would probably have more fossil fuels than Earth, as there'd be a lot more organic carbon, which would get buried underground and converted into fossil fuels. We'd ...
9
votes
5answers
2k views
What would prevent an eldritch deity from gaining the abilities of others that it absorbs?
nyarlathotep, the Black Pharaoh, seeks to enter the realm of Earth to rule over mankind. Unfortunately, he is prevented from doing so by a barrier that blocks eldritch deities from crossing over. To ...
2
votes
2answers
86 views
How can the rate of Mana output from mages reach a state of equilibrium during a spell? [closed]
Witches and warlocks have been working together for centuries. Witches have ley lines running throughout their circulatory system, in which their Mana flows through. These ley lines give them the ...
5
votes
2answers
143 views
"AC" compressed air?
So, compressed air power is a Thing. Compressed air tools are reasonably common, and compressed air has even been delivered commercially as an industrial utility at times.
But all existing compressed-...
7
votes
3answers
334 views
Why don't Sci-fi stories draw energy directly from their stars using wormholes/FTL devices? [closed]
Science fiction is full of devices allowing people to open portals to other worlds, teleport, open wormholes, etc. but there are only subtle discussions about tapping into the sun or other stars with ...
5
votes
2answers
217 views
Feasibility of sourcing fuel from air
Is it feasible to modify a combustion engine to source fuel from air and oxidizer from a tank, in an atmosphere that has significant amount of flammable fluids, such as one found in Titan?
If so, can ...
3
votes
4answers
264 views
What is a plausible combustible fuel on a colony planet?
The setting I'm trying to build is perhaps best described as "Mad Max in Space" - except civilization hasn't collapsed and tanks and airplanes are still a thing.
Planetary colony ...
3
votes
4answers
169 views
How can a soul be unable to resurrect from multiple locations?
I am a warlock who has committed many evil and despicable deeds in his lifetime. Bad karma has blackened my soul, dooming me to an eternity of unspeakable suffering in hell. Luckily, there is a way to ...
5
votes
3answers
274 views
I need a 1980s suit of nuclear-fed heavy power armor
With a miniaturized nuclear reactor on my back, what does my late Cold War suit of CBRN-shielded antiballistic-plated power suit look like? Could it mount vehicle-grade weaponry?
4
votes
7answers
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How can a substance necessary for organic life be harmful? [closed]
Mana is the source of an individual's magical power. A person's Mana reserves determine the strength of their spells. Lady Stoneheart, the Witch of Westeros, has developed a black market industry ...
8
votes
6answers
520 views
Cons of Antimatter Weaponry
In the story I'm creating, a major weapon type of humanity will be Antimatter based weaponry. This is a fairly new technology, as antimatter production facilities have just reached the size and ...
2
votes
5answers
178 views
reactor powered by explosives
Is it feasible to power a reactor using explosives with today's technology? Just using the heat of the explosion to turn a turbine is not the idea I am looking for. Keep the handwavium to a minimum. ...
1
vote
4answers
130 views
What would make Mana bending lead to unrelated effects on reality?
Mana benders are individuals who can impose their will on reality by altering it based on their perception, usually interpreted as "magical abilities". These powers can take a number of forms, ...
2
votes
2answers
152 views
Harnessing energy directly from the sun via quantum tunneling
In the universe of my story, the Earth is ridden with metahumans with uncanny powers that do all sorts of different things. Of course, to do all this, they would require a tremendous amount of energy, ...
4
votes
8answers
764 views
How can it be made more difficult to resurrect the recently deceased?
When a person dies, their soul ascends to the astral realm to rest with the gods. However, a piece of them, called the Ka, remains on earth. This piece is the off cast remains of the soul and a ...
0
votes
1answer
94 views
Can an electric transmission line of 40075 Kilometers exist? [closed]
How long an electric transmission line will be? How much volts of AC need to transmit that far? How much will be the loss of power during transmission?
36
votes
19answers
7k views
How would one make a reactor harder to produce over time?
I have been asking myself this question recently.
How would you make a reactor powering a powerful weapon harder to produce for each successive reactor being produced?
My solutions currently would ...
0
votes
4answers
293 views
What kind of matter would be needed to maintain a black hole?
Let's say we have a reactor that taps into an artificial black hole (kugelblitz-type). What kind of matter would be needed to feed the black hole to sustain it? Would this matter be treated like fuel?
7
votes
5answers
293 views
Capital ship reactor power
I'm trying to not delve too into the sciences so as to keep things fairly suitable for a space opera setting, but I'm trying to figure a few things to a reasonable degree of detail.
My question here ...
1
vote
1answer
109 views
What would we see driving through a country or coastline of a distributed and hardened Hydrogen energy infrastructure?
I could describe the energy infrastructure of 15th century Holland by describing colorful windmills set up to drain swamps, saw wood, power woodworking mills, and process food. Dutch carpenters busily ...
3
votes
3answers
121 views
How could a fusion device be held at the centre of a ring-shaped space habitat?
I'm trying to create something like a generation ship, but it has no destination, and is travelling endlessly, so is more like a deep space non-orbital habitat for humans. One helpful and appealing ...
4
votes
3answers
206 views
Unpredictable reactors which like to explode by default
In my world, alien 'reactors' are discovered that are very efficient at creating power (around 1000x better than fission), as well as requiring little fuel, making them the perfect power source.
...
1
vote
1answer
192 views
What would be shocking to learn your neighbor did with his machine that clones anything for only 0.05 seconds? [closed]
This is a stub from an overbroad question in the Sandbox
I have a device similar to what Douglas E. Richards' used in Split Second (I have never read his book) such that any object of less than 3 m3 ...
5
votes
1answer
245 views
Metallic hydrogen powered vehicles
Let’s say metallic hydrogen becomes an economically viable resource that we are able to either make ourselves or mine from a gas giant, how would we use it as a power source for vehicles both ...
7
votes
5answers
214 views
Adapting to a sonic world
A planet much like Earth orbits a star much like the Sun, but with one difference: the energy from the star is magically transformed into sound within the planet's atmosphere. There is no longer ...
4
votes
1answer
180 views
Wirelessly charging the world
In my world (consider it an Earth analog for simplicity), power stations on the ground ionize columns of atmosphere using high-energy, electromagnetic beams. The plasma columns stretch all the way up ...
4
votes
9answers
908 views
How can power levels matter in a magic system that emphasizes control?
Magic works through transmutation circles infused with sigils that both manifest from a person's mind. The individual focuses their Anima, or life force, through these circles in order to create ...
3
votes
6answers
448 views
how can non-magical soldiers gain power from a magic ritual without making its participants weaker?
This particular coven operates as a powerful and wide spanning enterprise focused on accumulating power to direct the world in ways that align with their interests. Witches gain more power through a ...
3
votes
3answers
202 views
How can a soul sucker avoid the negative traits of its victims?
People are souls that inhabit and animate human bodies. The lifeforce of an individual is what powers the soul and allows it to exercise control over the body. Physical and mental attributes, such as ...
30
votes
17answers
7k views
How could indestructible materials be used in power generation?
Background:
In this scenario assume technology is initially equal to our own, but a method is discovered to render material indestructible. The affected material is treated as requiring infinite or ...
3
votes
4answers
347 views
Regenerating Fuel Cell
I'm working on a powered exoskeleton design for my universe and I had an idea about how to power it.
It works in this cycle:
Water enters an electrolyzer powered by a massive betavoltaic battery ...
4
votes
1answer
4k views
How long would the electricity grid stay up if everyone suddenly died [duplicate]
Given:
your classic zombie apocalypse (99.9% die in the first 24 hours, and survivors stop going to work)
a developed country (say USA)
coal power stations
how long after people stopped doing stuff ...
5
votes
7answers
302 views
Is broadcast power suitable for recharging robots?
The last time I checked ASIMO's battery pack only had enough juice for something like 30 minutes of continuous operation & then it has to plug in & recharge which isn't really that useful.
I'...
