3 ms·
a gallon of gas produces about 33 kWh. A meter of solar panels (which has a similar weight without glass) produces about 1000 kWh / year. (It's about the sam
by bryanlarsen 3y ago
a gallon of gas produces about 33 kWh. A meter of solar panels (which has a similar weight without glass) produces about 1000 kWh / year. (It's about the same on Earth and Mars since a Mars year is almost twice as long)
- Alupis 3y agoThis isn't a helpful metric though - even if we had a vast grid of solar on Mars - how is the power going to be stored? Batteries? How do you get them there? Who plugs it all in? Who maintains if when it fails? Excavating earth and rock in the volume being proposed (to build underground dwelling spaces) is not trivial...
- bryanlarsen 3y agoWhy store it? Dig when the sun is shining and idle when it isn't. Your other concerns are power source agnostic.
- Alupis 3y agoAll of the other issues still exist. How do you setup a solar farm on a remote planet without any humans being involved (the OP was discussing tunneling before any humans arrived). Who plugs it all in? Who dusts it off after a storm? How long are the cables that power this excavator? What happens if they get tangled or damaged? It's just a non-starter of an idea...
- JumpCrisscross 3y agoMining on Earth is already electrifying and going remotely piloted and a little bit autonomous [1]. [1] https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/no-one-behind-the-wheel-the-new-workforce-driving-australia-s-mines-20190411-p51dd2.html https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/no-one-behind-the-...