Ask HN: Is it possible to generate usable energy from environmental heat?

4 melenaboija 3 6/29/2025, 9:37:46 PM

Yes, I know I could just ask ChatGPT, but I still believe in good old HN wisdom, and I’m also curious about the entrepreneurial point of view. It is surprising to see there has been attempts for everything in the past, and this community always knows something about it.

Comments (3)

toomuchtodo · 11h ago

You need a temperature differential. If you have energy, you can move that heat somewhere with a heat pump, but heat alone is insufficient to make usable energy.

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/44247/can-i-take...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_law_of_thermodynamics

aristofun · 9h ago

Generally speaking - no.

Why? Because 2nd law of thermodynamics. More precisely https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissipation

janmarsal · 11h ago

check out the Stirling engine