5 ms·
These studies are really interesting to think about for space settlements. Terrestrially, you're never going to get more efficient use of an acre of sunlight (
by unchocked 6y ago
These studies are really interesting to think about for space settlements.
Terrestrially, you're never going to get more efficient use of an acre of sunlight (~4 MW at noon) than you will with photovoltaics (~75% loss ~= 1 MW at noon) and conversion to artificial light.
But it could totally work on some future Trantor with flying cars and fusion engines.
* edit: another poster has dug into the appendix and concluded that you might be able to do about as good w/r/t land use with photovoltaics, presumably due to other factors affecting plant growth.
- trhway 6y ago> you're never going to get more efficient use of an acre of sunlight (~4 MW at noon) than you will with photovoltaics (~75% loss ~= 1 MW at noon) green plants don't use the middle, thus they are green, of the spectrum - i.e. they use only 10-20% of the sunlight. So, very efficient photovoltaics (or other type of solar powerplant) -> electricity -> only red and violet LEDs may even beat the Mother Nature in efficiency a bit. Add to that various optimizations - for example with the LEDs you aren't limited by the Sun singular position in the sky and can shine light from all the needed angles, like no more leaves being in the shadow of other leaves, thus increasing the photosynthesis throughput of a given plant.
- afiori 6y agoSome plants (like tomatoes IIRC) even have a better photosynthesis efficiency when the light comes from below.