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abat6294 t1_iuft1x6 wrote

You didn't even ask a question..

We harness energy from gravity all the time. A significant portion of the world's energy comes from water turbines which are spun by water falling - because of gravity.

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Em_Adespoton t1_iuftst4 wrote

His point is that the energy doesn’t come from gravitational force, but from (in that case) solar energy, as the water was lifted out of the ocean and dumped on mountains via solar thermal energy. Gravity is zero-sum.

However, this still misses the point that ALL energy is zero-sum — energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. Once deposited on a mountain, gravitational force overcomes solar energy so the energy used to spin a turbine is stored as potential energy, to be released as kinetic energy when the snow later melts and flows through the turbine.

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abat6294 t1_iuftxkh wrote

Oh, well right, he's just stating one example of the conservation of energy.

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Comprehensive_Tap131 OP t1_iugooq8 wrote

To take advantage of gravity for energy you need to go from am area of high gravitational potential to lower gravitational potential. Do the highest levels of Earth's atmosphere contain enough potential to take advantage of an area of high gravitational potential moving to an area of lower gravitational potential?

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Em_Adespoton t1_iuhw105 wrote

Yes?

We do it constantly.

Remember, energy isn’t created or destroyed, just transferred. Gravity is a great way to transfer it, as are other forces.

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Comprehensive_Tap131 OP t1_iugo9ma wrote

Basically asking as you carry that bowling ball up hill to a higher altitude are you simply storing potential energy? To be released whenever? Bowling ball sits there for 100 years until ground erodes and it then flies down to sea level or whatever. Is that really simply the storage of potential energy? I put energy in that bowling ball by carrying it uphill?

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Comprehensive_Tap131 OP t1_iugpp4l wrote

Literally not energy from gravity, scientifically

Edit: That energy comes from sunlight

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abat6294 t1_iuhbs1x wrote

But where does the energy from the sunlight come from? You can keep going with your argument - all the way back to the big bang. What makes you think the true source is sunlight?

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explainlikeimfive-ModTeam t1_iufxagc wrote

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