UC Davis Creates First Engine That Generates Power From Space's Cold

What Happened Researchers at the University of California, Davis have successfully built and tested a device that generates mechanical energy during nighttime hours by harnessing the vast temperature differential between Earth and space. The system employs a specialized Stirling engine that connects the relatively warm ground to the frigid depths above, converting this natural temperature gradient into usable power. The technology works through radiative cooling, a natural phenomenon where Earth’s surface loses heat to space through infrared radiation after sunset.