why dosnt scientists creat a energy source that uses heat?

Question

that would save alot of time and money
i dont see why they havent thought of that?

Answer 1

"The mission of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Geothermal Program is to work in partnership with U.S. industry to establish geothermal energy as an economically competitive contributor to the U.S. energy supply. "

http://geothermal.id.doe.gov/

"EERE's Geothermal Technologies Program works in partnership with U.S. industry to establish geothermal energy as an economically competitive contributor to the U.S. energy supply."

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/

And Iceland already uses it:
http://www.energy.rochester.edu/is/reyk/

Answer 2

Heat is just the transfer of energy, it isn't an energy source in itself. You have to burn something, or breakdown something, or in some other way release energy in order to see 'heat', which is part of the energy you released (from say a chemical, or by friction, or whatever). The heat you see is just a portion of the energy released, in transit.

So, its heat that is the end goal in a lot of energy sources, like fossil fuels, and the tapping of that energy in transit is the idea behind engines and such. Also generators. Ideally, if you are capturing energy from your source very efficiently, then there wouldn't be any heat at all; all the energy released from your source would go directly to where you are directing it (say a battery or an engine).

Answer 3

What do you mean? Heat comes from energy sources. Heat isn't an energy source. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

In physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is defined as energy in transit.[1] Generally, heat is a form of energy transfer, sometimes called thermal energy, associated with the different motions of atoms, molecules and other particles that comprise matter when it is hot and when it is cold.

In modern terms, heat is concisely defined as energy in transit. Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell, in his 1871 classic Theory of Heat, was one of the first to enunciate a modern definition of “heat”. In short, Maxwell outlined four stipulations on the definition of heat. One, it is “something which may be transferred from one body to another”, as per the second law of thermodynamics.

Answer 4

Steam fired coal plants operate on heat.

Massive boilers are heated with coal fire, the steam rises and turns the turbines that turn the generators.

Of course coal smoke is nasty.

Most methods of producing energy generate heat, so it is probably next to impossible to actually use heat itself to produce power.

Answer 5

Have you heard of geothermal energy? Essentially it is using the heat of the Earth's core to provide energy. It is actually very expensive and not very practical yet.

Answer 6

*Lots-* of energy sources use heat.

Nuclear power works by heating water, which is converted to energy.

Coal power plants work in a similar way, except they use coal to heat the water.

Cars work off the heat made by the expoding gasoline.

Most air conditioner work it in reverse, to use energy to pump heat *out* of a building (or car).

Answer 7

These do exist. They're called "thermocouples" or "thermopiles." They're not particularly practical in most parts of the world.