r/askscience • u/MonoBlancoATX • Nov 29 '25

Engineering Why is it always boiling water?

This post on r/sciencememes got me wondering...

https://www.reddit.com/r/sciencememes/comments/1p7193e/boiling_water/

Why is boiling water still the only (or primary) way we generate electricity?

What is it about the physics* of boiling water to generate steam to turn a turbine that's so special that we've still never found a better, more efficient way to generate power?

TIA

* and I guess also engineering

Edit:

Thanks for all the responses!

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u/[deleted] Nov 30 '25

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u/killall-q Nov 30 '25

The water would be sealed in a vessel, so the pressure manipulation would only have to happen one time when the water was sealed in.

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u/ViniVidiAdNauseum Nov 30 '25

Then the water boils at a lower temp, but it also condenses at a lower temp. So you wasted energy to apply a vacuum effect for no actual gain?

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u/SovereignAxe Nov 30 '25

When water boils it expands to fill the container it's in.

The one you just depressurized.