3 ms·
> If the promise of a technology is that we can use several orders of magnitude more energy per person, then that .1W/m2 could become 10W/m2. Depending on what
by llukas 7y ago
> If the promise of a technology is that we can use several orders of magnitude more energy per person, then that .1W/m2 could become 10W/m2.
Depending on what type of energy you exactly have in mind.
It is totally possible to increase consumption of iee. electric energy and reduce overall energy needs. We burn most of the fuels and use them very inefficiently:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_energy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_energy
In short: you need to burn coal with 3x as much energy to generate 1x of electricity. So when you switch from coal to nuclear (or renewable) and increase 2x your energy usage you still come up ahead in total primary energy consumption.
- pdonis 7y agoThis comparison isn't valid for nuclear; nuclear power plants use steam turbines to convert heat to electricity, just like coal plants do, and the thermal efficiency (fraction of energy from burning the fuel that actually becomes electrical energy) is about the same.
- llukas 7y agoOK, I double checked and you're right. Nuclear is counted properly difference is only for renewables: https://energypost.eu/iea-underreports-contribution-solar-wind-factor-three-compared-fossil-fuels/ https://energypost.eu/iea-underreports-contribution-solar-wi...