
Show HN: Just a simple idea to help with climate change - somebody_123
First of all, I have to ask you sorry because English is not my mother tongue, and I&#x27;m not very good at it.<p>This is a very simple idea, or just a silly fantasy. But I wanted to share it here, maybe it is not so silly, and maybe it is a possible thing.<p>The idea is this. One takes water from the ocean, and puts it into some container that can trap the sunlight. This container, made of some plastic or cristal, must let the sunlight in, but no out, so the sunlight will heat the water. As the water heats, it becomes steam, and with that steam you can maybe move a turbine for generating electricity.<p>But that&#x27;s not all. The idea is to trap the steam in another container, cool it, and so convert it in water again. But it will be water without salts; the satls are eliminated from the water when it evaporates. So, you collect the steam and convert it to water again, and then make drinkable water from this. So, using sunlight and ocean water, you get electricity and drinkable water.
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PaulHoule
The idea works but might not be cost-effective.

Small steam turbines are not highly economical. If you are using salt water as
a working fluid with intention to desalinate you will have to get rid of the
salt effectively so it doesn't clog anything.

If you have a fresh-water closed loop then that simplifies things, and the
ocean could be a good heat sink, but it competes with using some other kind of
heat sink at a different location. For instance, thermal solar plants have
often been built in desert locations so they get the most sunlight.

See

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrated_solar_power](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrated_solar_power)

and

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversio...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_thermal_energy_conversion)

~~~
gus_massa
I agree, but I think that it's important to add that low pressure turbines are
not cost effective. Moreover, you need overheated vapor so in case it condense
it doesn't form small drops that hit the turbine at high velocity.

Also, another relevant link
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_desalination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_desalination)

