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Wind Capacity Needed to Replace Certain Levels of Current Resources Used for Electricty Produciton

SolarByTheWatt.com — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:37:01 +0000

Similarly to the analysis we have done for solar we are putting the number together for the capacity needed of to replace coal, oil and natural gas with wind as sources for electricity.

We want to jump here directly to a graph comparing the different levels of electricity capacity currently generated from oil, coal, natural gas and the rest (nuclear, hydro etc) with the capacity wind power fields, farms need, the cost of investment needed and the land area used.

The assumptions are $1.3 per installed watt – much less than solar for now. And 3.8 acres per 1.5MW turbine – this is only the land used by the actual turbines and utility roads etc. not the actual land required for the field in which land can be used for agriculture or other purposes.

Click here or on the image to see full resolution graph.

The highest level displayed is not that important because it already includes renewable energy and nuclear (the argument about how clean it is and it’s safety are a subject of a separate discussion). Natural gas though not renewable is clean and still in abundant quantities in reserves. The more important part of the analysis is the lower levels – oil and coal. Look at how affordable the numbers look. Compare to the money currently the government is spending on trying to jump-start the economy anyway.

The scale is also not impossible to achieve quickly. Wind as solar is an accelerating, fast growing industry. Just to create the correct impression here of how quickly the first level – oil can be covered – it requires about 56 GW of wind power. Only in 2007 the newly installed wind power is 5.3 GW (see resources used at the bottom). So even at the same rate of investment, construction we only need 10 years to replace oil used for electricity. This is not counting the potential of solar, other renewables and the potential for the very likely accelerated addition of new wind capacity every year.

Resources Used

US Department of Energy
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/pdfs/43025.pdf

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Can Solar Energy Completely Replace Fossil Fuel and Other Sources?

SolarByTheWatt.com — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:12:48 +0000

Is solar energy capable of providing so much power that to offset the need for use of fossil fuels?

We want to look at the needs of energy of the United States and the world and compare with the practical size installations of solar power stations needed to replace that.

The question of completely replacing all fossil fuel or all other sources of electricity and other energy is much more complex than just looking at the numbers. Probably replacing the other sources in just electricity production is simpler but still in addition to simply adding capacity, changes of large scale are needed in the national grid configuration.

Replacing resources used to produce other energy, other than electricity, is even more complex. That will mean changing how energy is being transported and used. While electricity is a type of energy easy to transport what may need to be changed is the way it is utilized at the end consumer – industrial, residential or transportation. That will involve changes and costs again more than the ones related to replacing the source with solar power stations.

The current electricity generation capacity in the US is about 1TW (1,000,000 MW). About 395 GW (1GW = 1,000 MW) is from natural gas, 315 GW from coal, 100 GW from nuclear, 100 GW from hydroelectric 56GW from oil products, 30 GW from renewables other than hydro, and other small components.

We will look at these numbers separately to see what it will take to replace the more urgent ones of them – coal, oil etc.

The US total energy consumption, not just electricity is 3.5 TW. Most of the difference between just electricity and this number is made up of energy produced from oil so we are not going to try to break this down. We will look at this as one of our theoretical targets.

The world total energy consumption is at around 16 TW of which 4.5TW is electricity.

So, lets build a scale of the different stages that theoretically can be achieved in solar replacing other energy sources.

For our calculations we will assume installation / construction cost for one 1MW of $5m. This is a number ($5/Wp) we think smaller than the recent historic numbers for cost to install solar capacity. But we want to factor for future falling prices of solar modules and other components and overall improving efficiency in the industry. Anyone is free to factor the $ numbers we have if they believe $7/Wp or $10Wp is a better number.

For surface area needs we will assume 200 kW per acre. With different design and technology 800kW per acre is possible but we will go with the low number on this to be on the safe side. Since 1 sq mile is 640 acres, with our assumption we will have 128 MW per sq mile.

To Replace	We Need Solar Capacity, GW	That May Cost, $bn	Will Take Approximately Surface Area, sq miles	Approximately the area size of (examples)
Oil used for electricity production in the US	56	280 (notice this is less than the stimulus package!) like GDP of Ireland, 2% of GDP of USA	438	Guam, Cairo, half the size of Luxemburg or simply area 20×20 miles
Oil and coal used for electricity production in the US	371	1,855 like GDP of Spain or Italy, 13% of GDP of USA	2,900	Sao Paulo, Puerto Rico, Cyprus or Lebanon or simply area 55×55 miles
Oil, coal and natural gas used for electricity production in the US	766	3,830 like GDP of Germany or Japan, 28% of GDP of USA	6,000	Connecticut, less than New Jersey, New York City, Swaziland, Kuwait, Fiji, New Caledonia or simply area 80×80 miles
Total electric generation capacity of the US	1,000	5,000 like GDP of Japan, 36% of GDP of USA	7,800	Belize, Djibouti, Macedonia (Republic of), less than New Jersey, or simply area 90×90 miles
Total US Energy Consumption not just Electricity	3,500	17,500 like GDP of the European Union, 32% of GDP of the world	27,300	UAE, Austria, Serbia, less than South Carolina, 10% of Texas or simply area 165×165 miles
Total Electricity Generation Capacity in the World	4,500	22,500 1.3 times the GDP of the European Union, 41% of GDP of the world	35,000	Hungary, South Korea, Cuba, Bulgaria, Maine, 13% of Texas, 30% of Arizona or simply area 190×190 miles
Total Energy Consumption in the World not just Electricity	16,000	80,000 1.5 times the GDP of the world	125,000	Norway, Malaysia, Finland, Germany, a bit less than Japan, a bit more than New Mexico or simply area 350×350 miles

We tried to display this comparison between energy currently produced by different sources and capacity needed in solar in gigawatts (GW), cost of installation in billion dollars ($bn), land area needed in sq. miles, marks of different countries GDP, and land areas of different geographic locations (certain US states in this case).

Click here or on the graph below to see it in full scale.

On the above diagram, since it uses a linear scale for the capacity, cost and land and the large values (world energy needs) are much larger than the smaller ones (oil and coal for electricity in the US), the small values are not given a good presentation. So here we put the same numbers on a logarithmic scale for the solar capacity, cost and land requirements. We have much better clarity on the comparisons now for the smaller values.

Click here or on the graph below to see it in full scale.

We think in general our study is much more important in reference to the smaller values. They deal with some levels of scale of capacity that are practically easier to achieve in terms of replacing with solar. We are talking about the unquestionably very polluting coal and oil burning for electricity. Again – look at the numbers to replace oil products used for electricity generation in the US we only need $280b and spending that will create jobs, help growth in technology and give all sorts of other economic and social benefits.

The numbers given in our study in reference to the higher levels – world electricity and total energy consumption are simply for getting a better view of the comparative size of all levels.

The Power of Solar: How You Know It’s Right for Your Home

SolarByTheWatt.com — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 06:25:58 +0000

Solar power is becoming increasingly popular in homes and businesses. Solar how to books, websites and workshops are attracting huge audiences. The people interested in solar power are not just die-hard environmentalists. They are homeowners, business people and even government agencies.

Since at least the 1970s, people around the country have been concerned with the future of fossil fuels. These non-renewable resources are used extensively in every one of our daily activities. From eating breakfast to the morning commute to even taking a walk in the woods, fossil fuels have been involved. But because these resources are non-renewable, they will eventually run out.

When there is no more oil, coal or natural gas, we will need to rely on alternative fuels. One of the most promising alternative fuel sources is solar. How to harness solar power and make it work on a small scale is on the mind of many homeowners today.

There are countless benefits to be had with solar power. These are just a few:

* It can be used in new or existing homes. Solar panels can be built into new homes easily. They can also be added on to older homes as part of a “green” overhaul.

* The environmental impact of using solar is next to nothing. There is some impact from the production of solar panels. However, many factories are using alternative fuels themselves. Of those who still use fossil fuels, some purchase carbon offsets to reduce their overall impact. Actually using the panels to power your home produces no negative effects. There are no emissions or waste products to dispose of, and there is an unlimited supply of sunlight.

* If there is a power outage or natural disaster, having a solar power setup in place can help keep the lights on. After a power outage, it can take days to get your home’s power restored. Homes that live completely off the grid don’t have to wait around for the power company. Even homes with only a partial solar power system can keep essential items going with stored solar power. Your furnace, stove and battery charger can work even when your neighbors have no power.

* The financial benefits are plentiful, and they will only increase in the future. Fuel costs have suffered sharp rises recently. It seems likely that the cost of living will continue to climb higher and higher. For those who don’t have to pay for electricity, the lean times are easier to survive. Even if your home is only partially powered by solar, you will save a considerable amount of money on your electric bill. The initial cost of a solar setup may seem prohibitive, but it will pay for itself within a few years.

* The cost of solar power setups will likely continue to fall. The average cost of a home solar power setup today can be as high as $50,000 depending on the size of your home. That is the high-end cost, including materials and installation. If you do some or all of the work yourself and bargain shop for used solar panels, the price will be much lower. This price looks downright affordable when you look at costs in the past. Just a decade ago, the same setup could have cost upwards of $300,000. As the demand for solar power increases, so will production of solar panels. The price will fall accordingly, making solar power even more affordable to set up.

When it comes to powering your home with solar, how deep you dive in is up to you. You can have just one solar-powered appliance or a few collection panels on your roof. You can go completely off the grid all at once. Or you can switch to solar in stages. Changing over to renewable energy is a positive step for the future that you won’t regret.
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