"energy is neither created nor destroyed"
Magnet motors
Claim pattern: permanent magnets, clever gates, asymmetric rotors, or shielding arrangements are said to keep a motor turning while driving a load. Evidence needed: torque-speed data, electrical output into a simple load, reset work, control-coil input, temperature, and initial/final stored energy.
Fast screen: if the demonstration does not drive a measured load for long duration, treat it as a force-geometry demonstration rather than an energy result.
Water fuel and HHO
Claim pattern: water is split into combustible gas using unusually low input, then the gas powers an engine or burner. Evidence needed: true electrolyzer power, gas composition, gas flow, pressure, temperature, water and electrolyte changes, engine fuel flow, alternator load, and battery state.
Fast screen: hydrogen can be valuable, but water-fuel claims fail if they count hydrogen output while omitting the energy used to produce it.
Zero-point and vacuum extraction
Claim pattern: quantum vacuum effects or the Casimir effect are presented as proof of a harvestable energy source. Evidence needed: full cycle work, actuation energy, reset work, environmental controls, independent force or energy measurement, and loss accounting.
Fast screen: a real force is not the same as a net-energy engine. The cycle must return to its starting state.
Ambient harvesting
Claim pattern: antennas, thermal gradients, vibration harvesters, or electrostatic devices collect energy from the environment. Evidence needed: identify the environmental source, quantify incoming flux, show conversion efficiency, and avoid counting stored energy as generation.
Fast screen: ambient harvesting can be legitimate at small scales. It is not over-unity when the environment is the source.
Patent-only proof
Claim pattern: a patent number is used as the main evidence. Evidence needed: the patent can start the reading list, but net-energy proof requires a controlled measurement report and independent replication.
Fast screen: if the argument collapses when the patent is treated as a claim document rather than a lab result, the evidence is not strong enough.
FAQ
Are all free-energy claims scams?
No. Some are mistakes, some are ambiguous demonstrations, some are fraud, and some are legitimate energy-harvesting ideas using a real external source.
What single question filters most claims?
What are all energy inputs and outputs across a complete cycle, including stored energy and uncertainty?
Cite this page
Free Energy Research. "Claim Index: Free-Energy Topics and Evidence Standards." Updated 2026-07-06. Accessed from https://freeenergyresearch.org/claim-index.
https://freeenergyresearch.org/claim-indexPrimary sources
- First Law of Thermodynamics NASA Glenn Research Center
Plain-language statement of energy conservation and energy accounting for thermodynamic systems.
- Simple Guide for Evaluating and Expressing the Uncertainty of NIST Measurement Results National Institute of Standards and Technology
NIST Technical Note 1900, a practical guide for uncertainty budgets and reported measurement confidence.
- Hydrogen Fuel Basics U.S. Department of Energy
DOE explanation of hydrogen as an energy carrier and fuel-cell input.
- Magnets and Electricity U.S. Energy Information Administration
Explains electromagnetic induction in generators: magnets enable conversion, not source-free energy creation.
- MPEP 608.03, Models, Exhibits, Specimens United States Patent and Trademark Office
Patent examination rule noting when a working model may be required, including perpetual-motion situations.