I'm pretty much just a average joe so I have no degree's to back any of this but I have a Idea on how to possibly generate electricity without coal, oil, water, nuclear, or wind. My understanding that electricity can be generated by a turbine spinning. Instead of having wind or water or X spinning the turbine why not use Magnetism to spin it?

By having a shaft extend out from the turbine with magnets angled (my guess would be) at 30-45 degrees and then have a cylinder with space between it and the magnets with magnets lining it also at the same angle but with the same pole of magnetism. Being that they are of the same pole they will push away from each other and spin the turbine. If it is needs to stop have the cylinder able to retract away from the rod and ending the magnetic repulsion.

Would this be feasible? Has this been thought of?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion

It's a good thought, though. Keep it up...somebody really needs to figure that out.

Yeah, it's a simple generator. You should try to build a machine to collect the free flowing electricity coming off of powerlines.

You're the 100500th to think of that. And no, it doesn't work, since you are violating physical laws here. Basically, you are trying to generate power out of nothing. If you try to collect energy from a system, it will gradually lose energy and stop if it is not refueled. Even if you manage to create a completely frictionless system (and that's impossible), it will still lose momentum and stop if you try to divert energy from it.

P.S.: that's basic school physics knowledge, by the way...

I'll second what SOMEONE said. Machines like this would violate the second law of thermodynamics.

Well it's not exactly being generated from nothing. The repulsion of the magnets constantly moving away from each other would be the the energy that would cause the shaft to spin. I think though that the magnets would have to be supper conducted ( which would make them extremely powerful) to actually make the turbine spin and continue to do so.

You could've phrased that in a kinder way though. There's no need to be rude.

I agree

Please, read the link provided above.

What's rude about that? I'm simply stating that this is basic knowledge from maybe the 5 or 6th school grade.

It's fine, I dont take it personal as I didnt know if it had been conceived yet and I am also ignorant of the subject. But as you can see I am putting my thoughts out so that I may no longer be ignorant of the matter. I expect some harsh judgment as this is the internet.

If we assume for a second that this wouldn't violate physical laws (many of which are exactly the same as the ones that refute the possibility of perpetual motion, which is why I linked to it) and just focus on the magnetic repulsion, wouldn't the whole thing reach a position of equilibrium and stop spinning?

It doesn't strike you as the least bit inflammatory? Geez, even a child should know that. (See what I did thar?)

there may some places with great natural magnetic fields where this may be some whet possible. but for mass utilization, you'd need to power those magnets somehow.

i have always wondered why there aren't simple turbines hooked up to manual doors and the like. think of the old handcrank lightbulb experiment in school. Say you work in an office building. someone opens the door, and that motion generates a small bit of charge. if you've got a big enough building, with enough doors opening, you could possibly see some decrease in power taken from the grid.

and its slightly off topic, but i have always wondered why places with water shortages (like southern california) don't collect water that comes off of air conditioner compressors. moisture farming of byproduct water.

Actually, what he's describing isn't really a perpetual motion machine.

Basically, he wants to use magnets to spin a turbine to generate electricity. It can work, but i'm not sure how effective it would be. To last a while, the Magnets may need to be artifically magnetized to be strong magnets- I'm talking about the kind you put on your fridge, not a magnet whose field can be shut off by the way. That is, of course, there's no way to refine a magnet to be stronger without giving it more power from an external source.

Problem is, well, according to the laws of thermodynamics, those magnets will lose their charge over time. And if they are artifically magentized, you're going to be throwing out more energy than the magnetic engine would ever produce.

Maybe using some sort of trickery with same-pole magnets to help keep the turbine going?

I did and I kinda get it, but something like that I would better understand with visually seeing it.

Not sure, I never really understood that stuff. Geez I need to get some things together so I can tinker with it

it wouldn't be perpetual motion unless the machine that is making the electricity is also generating the magnetic fields.
the magnetism, in this case is an outside force, powering the machine.
So... if there were an untapped source of great magnetic force, you'd be harnessing that power to do the work- not creating the force that does the work, internally.