Can any energy "harvested" from rotation of the earth?

Question

Can energy harvested from the rotation of the earth? I don't mean wind power. Just the energy from the rotational inertia of the earth.

If we are able, would the earth's spin slow down as we use more and more of it.

Answer 1

There is one practical example:

The earth rotates west-to-east.  Launching a rocket pointing east from Florida takes advantage of a few hundred extra miles-per-hour of the earth's rotation, thus reducing the amount of fuel necessary to launch the rocket, as compared from say Michigan, or launching it in a westerly direction from California.

Yes, the earth's rotation does slow down -- theoretically, based on the action/reaction principle.  But the mass of a rocket is SOOoooo tiny compared to the earth that the effect is unmeasurable.  It would take millions of such launches to make a noticeable change.

In practical use, there must always be a difference in POTENTIAL energy.  That is, to harvest energy from the earth's rotation, what ever is harvesting the energy must be moving at a different speed.  That means that the "something" cannot be attached to the earth.  So that implies a spaceship, space station, or satellite.

HOW this harvesting would be accomplished is unknown.

Answer 2

no, not directly.

Indirectly, there are tidal machines, and wind turbines.

Yes, it would slow down, but by an amount so tiny that it would be unmeasurable.

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Answer 3

Tides ultimately get their energy fromt the rotation of the earth. Producing electrical power from the tides invariably involves impeding its flow. This countertorques the earth via gravitational interaction with the moon and/or sun, effectively converting rotational energy into electricity. Although rotation is necessary for wind, it is primarily driven by solar energy (heating).