this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
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Science Memes

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[–] A_Chilean_Cyborg@feddit.cl 89 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (7 children)

Yeah about that.

Those are termosolar powerplant, they use the sun to boil water and spin a turbine.

[–] chunes@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Why do I have an overwhelming urge to climb that

[–] Hedup@lemmy.world 32 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You know if you're a moth, you can just fly up there.

[–] humble_boatsman@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] mexicancartel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 2 weeks ago

BRotHeR i cRaVe foR tHe ForBiDDen liGhT

[–] fascicle@leminal.space 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Are you perhaps living in a place where it snows or something

[–] sudoMakeUser@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Sam McGee just wants to do free climbing

[–] PointyFluff@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Um...no.

Sam McGee just wants to be warm

[–] sudoMakeUser@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah that was the joke

[–] Rozauhtuno@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago

You played too many Ubisoft games.

[–] nexguy@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Better solar power extractor.

[–] RavingGrob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] arrow74@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 weeks ago

The sun heats the planet unevenly, this causes wind. Wind is solar

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

do you not know how those work?

the sun shines on the side angled upwards and heats it up. everybody knows hot air rises, so this raises the blade, creating the spinning motion.

it's basic, really. third grade stuff.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I really love how it's almost that simple.

the sun shines on the ~~side angled upwards~~ planet and heats it up. everybody knows hot air rises, ~~so this raises~~ creating winds that drive the blade, creating the spinning motion.

[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Omg every body knows wind is created when god sighs at the collective sin of the world.

Some people so dumb.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

the great orc father mungnog's farts propel the wind, all know this.

[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

I declare bankruptcy!

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 6 points 2 weeks ago (9 children)

If you think about it coal fired power plants are also solar powered 🤔

[–] nexguy@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

True, just that an intermediate step(of many steps) is to continually destroy the atmosphere.

[–] Aneb@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's not like we need it to breath anyways. We'll just pay corporations for oxygen masks and "Atmo-tanks" to breath. We have commodify everything because Capitalism requires it.

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[–] psud@aussie.zone 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Only that sun fell on plants millions of years ago. We really don't want that million year old carbon dioxide in the atmosphere alongside the recent stuff

[–] Fleur_@aussie.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago

Very true, the conclusion I'm drawing is that solar power is actively harming the environment and causing climate change. No new solar!

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[–] agentTeiko@piefed.social 17 points 2 weeks ago

Its even more metal they heat salt that heats water to spin the turbine. This keeps the power generation well after sun down.

[–] T156@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Although they're falling out of use these days, both because they're not very environmentally friendly on account of being instant bird death-rays, and also because regular solar panels are cheap enough that it's not worth it to make a big thermosolar plant.

[–] untorquer@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Habitat destruction, air pollution, and pesticides are unfathomably worse for birds.

[–] A_Chilean_Cyborg@feddit.cl 1 points 2 weeks ago

And I'm not sure how much alive things are in the Atacama (except when there is a blooming desert fenomenon.

[–] A_Chilean_Cyborg@feddit.cl 3 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Idk, my country just inaugurated a gigantic one of these.

Also, fotovoltaic pannels decay with time and have to be replaced, 15 years I think? Their manufacturing isn't also the greenest thing on earth.

You build one of these, and you can run it for a long long time.

[–] drosophila@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 points 2 weeks ago

15 years I think

This number gets lower every time I see it.

First, manufacturers typically guarantee their panels for 25 to 30 years.

Second, while we can extrapolate from existing data and perform accelerated aging tests, we're actually not completely sure how long PV panels last in the real world because the oldest ones from 1987 are still going.

[–] asg101@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 2 weeks ago

fotovoltaic pannels decay with time and have to be replaced, 15 years I think?

much longer: https://www.slashgear.com/1989112/solar-panel-lifespan-longer-new-study/

[–] psud@aussie.zone 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The usual warranty period is 20 years generating 80% of the nameplate generating Watts

They keep generating reasonable amounts of power 50 or 100 years later, though they tend to get overtaken by new technology in 10 to 20 years, and since they pay for themselves in about 4 years in my area they get replaced while still working well

I think we export our obsolete panels to developing nations

[–] untorquer@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Lies! Well the thermal plant is also fine but photovoltaics are really, really good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQ9nt2ZeGM

[–] MousePotatoDoesStuff@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

I wonder if it could be worth it to make one of those on other planets/the Moon one day. No birds to worry about there.

[–] Tja@programming.dev 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Solar panels are still cheaper and easier. Most spaceships and probes rely on them.

Yea, I should have guessed as much.

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[–] ZoteTheMighty@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Ahkshually, those tend to boil salt...which is later used to boil water.

[–] Gladaed@feddit.org 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That technology is a relic of the past. Solar panels are cheap and efficient now. Just use solar panels.

[–] Tja@programming.dev 2 points 2 weeks ago

And much easier to operate and troubleshoot.

[–] AzuranAurora@piefed.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago

That's what they want you to think. I bet it also powers a secret orbital space laser. I should know, a man with a theoretical degree in physics told me.