Caveats This is not a treatise. Rather, it’s an expanded explanation of Figure 1 and attendant preliminary calculations meant to encourage professionals in any and all relevant fields to either correct, validate or reject them. ParametersNot only are local characteristics and circumstances unique, so are the ever-evolving boundaries of science … Continue reading
Category Archives: Calculations
What’s More Efficient, a Single Large Generator at the Bottom of a Mountain, or a Series of Smaller Cascading Generators?
Answer: It’s generally more efficient to have a single, larger generator at the bottom of the mountain than a series of smaller cascading generators. Here’s why: However, there are some potential advantages to a cascading system in specific situations: In Conclusion: While there might be specific niche scenarios where a … Continue reading
How Much Land Needed to Install a Solar Plant with a Capacity of 11.1 GW?
Question: Assuming that virtually unlimited flat land is available in a desolate desert, how many square kilometers of and would be required to install a solar plant with a capacity of 11.1 GW? Answer: Here’s an estimate of the land area required for an 11.1 GW solar plant, along with … Continue reading
How Much Solar to Produce 611,800,000,000 kg of Hydrogen/Year?
Question: Given: a recent breakthrough of researchers at the University of Adelaide has yielded an electrolysis process that is 100% efficient with a catalyst that prevents the anode and cathode from decay; the amount of hydrogen desired is 611,800,000,000 kg per year; the temperature of the seawater is 60 degrees … Continue reading
Required Number of Rooftops Equipped With Solar Panels to Produce 611,800,000,000 kg of Hydrogen
The first step in this estimation is access the Global Solar Atlas; click on the specific location and look for ‘specific photovoltaic power output’, or PVOUT. This estimates the annual productivity of solar panels for a given location, measured in kilowatt-hours generated per kilowatt of peak capacity (kWh/kWp). For purposes … Continue reading
Hydrogen Needed to Replace the California & Colorado Aqueducts
Southern California’s Water Most of southern California’s water is imported. The California Aqueduct delivers up to 4.2 million acre-feet, the Colorado River Aqueduct 3,069.6 acre-feet, and the Los Angeles Aqueduct 275,000 acre-feet, for a combined total of 4,478,069.6 acre-feet of water per year. Since 1 acre-foot = 1233.5 m3, 4,478,069.6 … Continue reading
Death Valley Statistics
The stated depth of the Death Valley canal is based on this topographic map, which suggests an estimated average altitude at 2,500 feet (762 meters) along its possible 425 km route. The staggering volume of earth that would need to be excavated can be calculated by the formula Volume = … Continue reading