Could Electricity, and / or refrigeration be 'invented' in the middle ages?

[Jimbo808]

Refrigeration; it's a marvelous thing isn't it? I suppose electricity and the generating of such power was important in the development of refrigeration and modern food supply chains, leading to the virtual ending of world hunger (mostly).

Could electricity be discovered much earlier, say in the middle ages? And would that enable refrigeration to be developed much earlier as well? And how could that possibly impact the world? I know it's a rather broad question but I'm interested in others thoughts.

 

[LostInNewDelhi]

The rotational energy for the spinning magnet in the generator has to come from somewhere. If not an engine, then human, animal, wind, or waterpower.

But then, there has to be enough copper for the wires. And then insulation, or you'll just have raw wiring everywhere. Could wax be used for insulation? Or some kind of rubber-like tree sap?

 

[DJ03]

Refrigeration; it's a marvelous thing isn't it? I suppose electricity and the generating of such power was important in the development of refrigeration and modern food supply chains, leading to the virtual ending of world hunger (mostly).

Could electricity be discovered much earlier, say in the middle ages? And would that enable refrigeration to be developed much earlier as well? And how could that possibly impact the world? I know it's a rather broad question but I'm interested in others thoughts.

It'd require so much changes to happen in the previous centuries that, frankly, you'd end up with something which doesn't look medieval (and by a long shot), defeating the purpose of the thread

 

[Neoteros]

I seem to remember that in the Emberverse novels, refrigeration was still possible even with most other modern technology gone, but it'd be far more likely for a pre-industrial country to stumble upon other things that made an appearance in the series' neo-medieval world, like bicycles for example. Horse-powered railroads could be possible, but they'd require a lot of work.

 

[Arkenfolm]

Closest thing to refrigeration is knowledge of how a qanat (or similar structure) works. Although one idea I had of an icebox was lining an ice chest with pycrete. Problem is that you'd need a lot of loose sawdust laying around (I don't think making it from other plant debris works as well), so that means a lot of lumber mills.

I seem to remember that in the Emberverse novels, refrigeration was still possible even with most other modern technology gone, but it'd be far more likely for a pre-industrial country to stumble upon other things that made an appearance in the series' neo-medieval world, like bicycles for example. Horse-powered railroads could be possible, but they'd require a lot of work.

Horse-powered railroads were very common before the mid-19th century and used especially in mining and public transit. But I don't think you can make them work over long distances since there's not enough benefit for the amount of maintenance required. It's probably cheaper to just build better roads or best of all, canals.

 

[Analytical Engine]

Horse-powered railroads could be possible, but they'd require a lot of work.

What do you mean could? They did exist.

List of horse-drawn railways - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Don Corleone]

I've done it in Civ.

 

[anotherlurker]

The rotational energy for the spinning magnet in the generator has to come from somewhere. If not an engine, then human, animal, wind, or waterpower.

But then, there has to be enough copper for the wires. And then insulation, or you'll just have raw wiring everywhere. Could wax be used for insulation? Or some kind of rubber-like tree sap?

Iirc older, think 1800s, cabling often had paper as insulation and leather strips or low tech polymers as protective coating with bitumen or somesuch inbetween to keep water out. Nothing the high middle ages artisans and craftsmen couldn't produce, if they knew about it or cared enough to produce it.

 

[Tosa Inu]

The rotational energy for the spinning magnet in the generator has to come from somewhere. If not an engine, then human, animal, wind, or waterpower.

But then, there has to be enough copper for the wires. And then insulation, or you'll just have raw wiring everywhere. Could wax be used for insulation? Or some kind of rubber-like tree sap?

Copper is actually relatively easy to extract and shape compared to Iron.

As long as a Greco-Roman to High Medieval Guy found that rotating magnet could results in this funny tingling sensation, they'll have slaves doing the hard work of rotating magnet, causing thus to be more of Human-powered electricity.

 

[LostInNewDelhi]

Iirc older, think 1800s, cabling often had paper as insulation and leather strips or low tech polymers as protective coating with bitumen or somesuch inbetween to keep water out. Nothing the high middle ages artisans and craftsmen couldn't produce, if they knew about it or cared enough to produce it.

Copper is actually relatively easy to extract and shape compared to Iron.

As long as a Greco-Roman to High Medieval Guy found that rotating magnet could results in this funny tingling sensation, they'll have slaves doing the hard work of rotating magnet, causing thus to be more of Human-powered electricity.

Cool. So then you could theoretically run a motor or pump at the other end, but the voltage could very low, in the end it would probably be less energy than goes in at the other end. Even in the best case of water power, you're left dependent on the river current, which could be too slow, so fast that the voltage burns up the resistors

 

[anotherlurker]

Cool. So then you could theoretically run a motor or pump at the other end, but the voltage could very low, in the end it would probably be less energy than goes in at the other end. Even in the best case of water power, you're left dependent on the river current, which could be too slow, so fast that the voltage burns up the resistors

As for the too slow/fast water currents, that's solved with simple gears, 0 complexity there.

As for the power you're pushing through, that's a question Ohm, Volts, Watts and Amps. You can put quite a lot of power through a cable with low Voltage, you're going to have high Amperes though as compensation. This pictures hows their relation, with higher Watts being more little guys who have to get through there in the same amount of time.

 

[Tosa Inu]

Cool. So then you could theoretically run a motor or pump at the other end, but the voltage could very low, in the end it would probably be less energy than goes in at the other end. Even in the best case of water power, you're left dependent on the river current, which could be too slow, so fast that the voltage burns up the resistors

Nah, it would be more of sensation curiosity for the rich, just like the Heron steam engine.

But then, if Thomasios Alpha Edisonos managed to create a lightbulb, then it could evolve, with proper development in lens and mirrors, into something that direct manpower can't create, fire-less lights.

Imagine you're a Vikijg Captain, and while navigation in the night was difficult,Torches are potential dangers on wooden ships. But not that dangerous if the light was produced by four thralls cranking.