alt Hacker News> the generation of >400 milliwatts per square meter of mechanical power with a potential for >6 watts per square meter.
Keep in mind the power is fully mechanical so no electricity or control circuit is required. And based on the simplicity it seems like a good candidate to power something that you need to last 100 years with no maintenance for example.
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AnimalMuppet • today at 12:02 AM
Mechanical things don't usually work for 100 years with no maintenance. Bearings run dry, if nothing else.
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I think the "last 100 years with no maintenance" is not likely feasible with this approach. The top plate has a coating that supports high infrared emissivity -- and I think it would need to be regularly cleaned to work well. And you can't really prevent it from getting dirty by enclosing it b/c that both substantially changes the performance and moves the maintenance burden to cleaning the enclosure.