- #36
joema
- 106
- 3
If you mean why examine whether an alternative energy source can scale upward to supply a significant fraction of world demand, the answer is obvious: if it can't, it's mainly an interesting curiosity.
If you mean why doing so implies FEGs likely can't supply the world's energy needs (the thread title), as I stated before the math and implications are very simple. It would require 18 million 1.5 MW FEGs.
The website mentions using 20 MW FEGs without any analysis of whether that's actually possible. The largest terrestrial wind turbine ever made is the REPower 5M, a 5 megawatt unit with a rotor diameter of 126 meters. It weighs 120 tons. Each rotor blade weighs 18 tons. You'd need something maybe TWICE that size -- flying overhead -- for a single 20 MW FEG (accounting for higher rotor disc areal efficiency).
Then to supply the world's energy needs, you'd need 792,371 of those -- 1.18E17 watt hrs/yr / 149E9 watt hr/yr/FEG. It's should be obvious that's not realistically possible.
If you mean why doing so implies FEGs likely can't supply the world's energy needs (the thread title), as I stated before the math and implications are very simple. It would require 18 million 1.5 MW FEGs.
The website mentions using 20 MW FEGs without any analysis of whether that's actually possible. The largest terrestrial wind turbine ever made is the REPower 5M, a 5 megawatt unit with a rotor diameter of 126 meters. It weighs 120 tons. Each rotor blade weighs 18 tons. You'd need something maybe TWICE that size -- flying overhead -- for a single 20 MW FEG (accounting for higher rotor disc areal efficiency).
Then to supply the world's energy needs, you'd need 792,371 of those -- 1.18E17 watt hrs/yr / 149E9 watt hr/yr/FEG. It's should be obvious that's not realistically possible.
Last edited: