Why refrigerators need power when cooling is actually loss of heat(energy)? Why energy is needed to lose energy?

Question

And shouldn’t it be a power generator

In: Physics

Answer 1

Refrigerators are heat pumps. It are constantly moving a coolant fluid around to absorb heat from inside the fridge and release it into the outside environment, and moving the coolant takes energy. If the coolant wasn’t being moved, it would reach a thermal equilibrium with the inside of the fridge and no heat energy would be exchanged. This is what happens when you don’t power the refrigerator.