@moonbus saidIt would suck as an energy generator because the amount of kinetic energy supplied by light is very small which is why solar sails have to be like a kilometer across to get any kind of propulsion force. That said, the resultant force is 24/7 so a small acceleration builds up over time and there is no need for fuel.
@sonhouse
I like the idea of a water-wheel shaped rotor, rather than four simple vanes, as this increases the efficiency. Still not sure how we get the motion out of the enclosure though. A rotor which doesn't attach to anything else isn't doing any useful work, it's just a widget.
It would be a great development if those solar sails were built with solar cells so you get a lot of direct solar energy plus propulsion.
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@sonhouse
Realistically, we'll get more motion out of wind, than light. See this hi-tech wind-wing on a cargo ship:
https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/new-wind-powered-cargo-ship-sets-sail-2023-08-22_en
Although this looks promising, too, on a much smaller scale:
https://catamaran-outremer.com/en/news/outremer-51-a-testing-platform-for-solar-sails/
@moonbus saidTrump is trying to kill wind power.
@sonhouse
Realistically, we'll get more motion out of wind, than light. See this hi-tech wind-wing on a cargo ship:
https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/new-wind-powered-cargo-ship-sets-sail-2023-08-22_en
Although this looks promising, too, on a much smaller scale:
https://catamaran-outremer.com/en/news/outremer-51-a-testing-platform-for-solar-sails/
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/climate/wind-power-executive-order-trump.html
@moonbus saidIF he is out of power, I hope SOME republicans will not allow Trump to become a real dictator but he is on his way in that regard as we speak.
@sonhouse
Wow, that’s obvious, he’s heavily invested in fossil fuels and doesn’t wanna lose money. Wait 3 1/2 years, you’ll get rock-bottom prices for renewable energy stocks, which will start to recover once he’s out of power.