100 miles on each side: Difference between revisions
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=Area Required to Provide 100% Solar Concentrator Electric Energy for the USA= | |||
Square with 100 mile sides: | Square with 100 mile sides: | ||
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The USA has [http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/area.shtml 3.5 million square miles]. 10,000 is about .3%. | The USA has [http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/area.shtml 3.5 million square miles]. 10,000 is about .3%. | ||
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[[Category: | =Comparison to Roads= | ||
There is about [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road 4 million miles of roads] in the USA. The average width of a road is 50 feet, or .0095 miles. | |||
This constitutes a total of 38000 sqare miles of roads - or 4 times as much road area than the area required to go 100% renewable on solar energy via solar concentrator electric power. | |||
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[[Category: Energy]] | |||
Latest revision as of 23:29, 19 August 2011
Area Required to Provide 100% Solar Concentrator Electric Energy for the USA
Square with 100 mile sides:
10000 (square miles) = 2.6 × 10^10 m2
Each meter squared gets you 1000W of solar power.
This gives about 2.6x10^13W, or 26,000 GW.
Assume that conversion efficiency is 10% to electricity using solar concentrators (Ausra claims 30% efficiency). Divide that by 4 because you have sun 6 hours of the day, so you have 26,000GW/40 = 650 GW, or about what we need to power the USA.
The USA has 3.5 million square miles. 10,000 is about .3%.
Comparison to Roads
There is about 4 million miles of roads in the USA. The average width of a road is 50 feet, or .0095 miles.
This constitutes a total of 38000 sqare miles of roads - or 4 times as much road area than the area required to go 100% renewable on solar energy via solar concentrator electric power.