Don’t eat Uranium 235.

[Edwardoka]

I think we have all completely missed something - what unites cycling and uranium? Critical mass.

Further, it seems obvious that cycling after eating uranium would lead to critical ass.

 

[Electric_Andy]

It's amazing how something so small can contain so much energy. I've just done some googling, and for comparison 4 litres of petrol contains 31,000 calories.

 

[KneesUp]

It's amazing how something so small can contain so much energy. I've just done some googling, and for comparison 4 litres of petrol contains 31,000 calories.

Yes, I keep petrol in my bottles, but it's nothing more than a snack in terms of calories.

 

[Beebo]

It's amazing how something so small can contain so much energy. I've just done some googling, and for comparison 4 litres of petrol contains 31,000 calories.

It is amazing.
If we could capture all the suns energy that hits the earth for just 1 hour, it would supply the entire planets power for a whole year.
And that is just the teeny tiny bit that hits earth, imagine if we could capture the suns rays elsewhere and send it back to earth.

 

[Edwardoka]

It is amazing.
If we could capture all the suns energy that hits the earth for just 1 hour, it would supply the entire planets power for a whole year.
And that is just the teeny tiny bit that hits earth, imagine if we could capture the suns rays elsewhere and send it back to earth.

You are Freeman Dyson AICMFP

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

capture the suns rays elsewhere and send it back to earth

Then Global warming would be Global frying

 

[Beebo]

You are Freeman Dyson AICMFP

I wouldn’t advocate a full dyson sphere but covering the moon with solar panels and working out a way to send the power back to earth could be feasible?

 

[Andy_R]

I wouldn’t advocate a full dyson sphere but covering the moon with solar panels and working out a way to send the power back to earth could be feasible?

Extension lead?

 

[Edwardoka]

I wouldn’t advocate a full dyson sphere but covering the moon with solar panels and working out a way to send the power back to earth could be feasible?

I mean sure, turning the moon into a giant solar farm would be an awesome megaproject, but the moon's surface area is smaller than that of Asia, and only half of it could be used at any given time. Easier to cover Australia and the Sahara with solar panels, that would give comparable power without a) the insane levels of fuel required to ferry construction materials up and b) transmission losses

I'm all for a lunar solar farm - if we can work out how to refine the silicon in the lunar crust into usable form then it might deliver an energy surplus in a couple thousand years or so

 

[Edwardoka]

Extension lead?

Even though I know it's physically impossible (for very many reasons) I kinda want to know how thick the cable would need to be to carry all the power down without burning out, but I don't know where to begin.

The latest xkcd what-if covered a similar earth-moon tether scenario
https://what-if.xkcd.com/157/

 

[johnnyb47]

Even though I know it's physically impossible (for very many reasons) I kinda want to know how thick the cable would need to be to carry all the power down without burning out, but I don't know where to begin.

The latest xkcd what-if covered a similar earth-moon tether scenario
https://what-if.xkcd.com/157/

I think there would have to be a bit of slack in the cable as the moon fluctuates in distance from us. Amazon probably do one online no doubt

 

[Andy_R]

I think there would have to be a bit of slack in the cable as the moon fluctuates in distance from us. Amazon probably do one online no doubt

Curly cable?

 

[johnnyb47]

A couple of jo jo reels will do the trick :=))),

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The Earth has a magnetic field and spins. So just put some wraps of coil around the equator and we have a Dynamo we can all plug into.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

A couple of jo jo reels will do the trick :=))),

Who on earth is Jo Jo Reels?