[Tfug] OT: Big Oil? Windows Vista!

[Hubert M Bath]

"one will be able to buy a solar panel that is the size of a laptop for 
several hundred dollars that will be able to power your house, in say 5 
to 10 years...."

My (emphatic) vote is that this *is* impossible, at any price.  The 
arrays of PV cells large enough to generate of couple of Kw  currently 
cover dozens of square feet. My son, who designs and sells PV 
installations on the Big Island of Hawaii says that 2KW output after 
conversion from DC to AC requires 153 ft^2 of PV cells.  Full output is 
available 5 hours per day.  20% is the efficiency in conversion from 
radiation to DC.

  Solar radiation density at the surface of the earth is taken to be 
1000 w/m^2. [ Solar constant = power per square meter at the top of the 
atmosphere is about 1350 watts. ]

So apparently 1000 watts/m^2 is available at the earth's surface.  A 
laptop has an area of about 0.12 m^2.  So the laptop, collecting and 
converting at 100% efficiency could generate 120 watts.  That's all the 
energy that is available.  Enough for a very small house.

Regards,  Hu Bath


johngalt1 wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "keith smith" <klsmith2020>
> To: "Tucson Free Unix Group" <tfug>
> Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 3:09 PM
> Subject: Re: [Tfug] OT: Big Oil? Windows Vista!
> 
> 
>> A truly free market will take care of gas prices.
> 
> What is the chance of that happening in the oil market? Nil,
> I say.
> 
>> Alternatives are becoming more viable.
> 
> More viable, but not as a replacement... for some time to
> come.
> 
>> I think I mentioned in an earlier thread that if solar
>> takes off I suspect it will do the sames as computers have
>> done.  And if that is so, one will be able to buy a solar
>> panel that is the size of a laptop for several hundred
>> dollars that will be able to power your house, in say 5 to
>> 10 years....
> 
> This is impossible. Will anyone tell why this just can't
> happen? Maybe the poster that tests things will say why.
> 
>> ....because the market is already there while computers
>> took a while to catch on.
>>
>> Oh and did I mention it will be a smart device that runs
>> Linux?
>>
>> We live in exciting times!
> 
> The linux part could happen.
> 
> People love to believe in myths. If you tell a big enough
> tale, people will begin to believe it.
> 
> But, what's the point of believing in BS?
> 
> 
> 
>