Politicoid

Politicoid

An organization dedicated to infusing logical reasoning and science into political discussions

Energy Calculations

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When debating about whether or not solar and wind are true alternatives we need to discuss cost and time issues associated with production of such power plants. We also need to compare them to current methods and methods that are close to being implemented. It’s also important to note that there is such a thing as safe nuclear.

United States Energy Consumption

Overall energy consumption: 5,800TWh (2004)
From electricity: 4,158TWh (2008)

Average power usage: 5,800TWh/1year = 6.62×10^11 watts

Example for nuclear
Construction costs associated with nuclear
It can be difficult to find costs of plants in production and those that have recently been completed. A large part of the cost associated with construction of nuclear power plants is licensing issues. This is also a major time restraint.
Estimated construction cost: $4.5B
Estimated power output: 1,100MW
Calculations:
Under estimated conditions we would have,
Number of units required for that much power: 6.62×10^11watts/1,100MW = 602
Total production time: At one per month 602/12 = 51 years
This puts the total cost at $2.7T
Let’s assume for a minute that these estimates are off and that the cost is as high as $6B and the output as low as 900MW.

Number of units required for that much power: 6.62×10^11watts/900MW = 736
Total production time: At one per month 736/12 = 63 years

This puts the total cost at $4.42T assuming less than ideal costs, power output, and a total replacement of all power usage in the United States. Given a major chunk of the cost is red tape, and that these values were reduced by quite a bit to give a high bound for cost, the actual cost would most likely be far lower.

Example for solar

Source: http://cleantechnica.com/2009/05/13/worlds-largest-solar-thermal-plant-340mw-planned-for-arizona/

Solar thermal power plants are the most effective at producing electricity and evening out the inconsistencies associated with solar power.

However even a highly effective power plant has many flaws. The cost and time to produce the plant, and the amount of land needed to house the plant are high.

Specific data:

Land usage: 400 acres
Estimated construction cost: $2B
Output: 340MW
Time to produce: 2 years

Calculations:

Number of units required for that much power: 6.62×10^11/340MW = 1,947
Total land usage required: 400 acres x 1,947 = 1,216 sq miles
Total cost: $2B x 1,216 = $2.4T
Total time: At one plant produced every month 1,216/12 = 100 years

This cost is assuming maximum output and no overrun in construction costs. The actual results are likely to be far different. Note especially that 340MW divided by 400 acres of land comes out to an average of 210watts/m^2 which is the total flux at the surface of the Earth.
Page will be updated as I gather new information