I just discovered that it's possible to use supercritical carbon dioxide instead of water in steam engines and get better energy efficiency in the heat-to-electricity conversion process.
... This makes so much sense and is so futuristic-cool to me, but, uh. ... It's a tech that's going commercial.
are we finally moving on from "boiling water" being the ultimate basis of every technology to generate electricity????
Jan 31, 2026 10:18Looks like it. There's some serious challenges around corrosion and shit like that, but...
... It looks like there's a 10% efficiency increase, if not more, ready to pluck. Now.
holy crap
Like 10% is pushing efficiency from 40% to 50%, it's not literally altering the universe, but, like.
...
It's fucking with a boundary I had taken for granted for most of my life.
a potential 10% efficiency improvement applied across All Industry Reliant on Steam is a pretty fuckin big deal
It does mean replacing every single steam turbine in the world - and there are turbines out there that have been running for up on a hundred years - but...
...
I picture a world with 20% more energy over the past century and I weep.
Or fucking 20% less climate change! ;~;
