How the Penrose Process Is the Key to Harvesting Energy in the Future
Black holes are seemingly limitless sources of energy — what if we could steal some of that energy?
Black holes are one of the most mysterious and tumultuous cosmic entities. Sucking in everything around them, even light, these monstrosities harness enough power to warp even gravity.
Even more fascinating is that the energy supplied by black holes is practically boundless. Because they suck everything in as fuel, and space has no shortage of food, black holes have incredibly long life spans.
To get specific, a black hole with the mass of our sun would likely survive 10⁶⁷ years. However, the supermassive black holes at the center of our galaxy and most are far larger than this.
Therefore, it has to be asked: is there a way to harness this renewable energy?
Absolutely.
At least, in the distant future. Here’s how:
As a massive star collapses in on itself, its’ core is compressed until it becomes a black hole. Since angular momentum cannot go away, the spinning star picks up speed as it shrinks, and eventually collapses into a tiny, yet incredibly fast-spinning black hole.
