Energy Scales
<)> Terawatts |
watts |
|
<)> 4 |
4.0E12 |
United States technological, 2011 |
<)> 14 |
1.4E13 |
World technological, 2011 |
<)> 50 |
5.0E13 |
World technological, 2050 est |
<)> 200 |
2.0E14 |
World, "edible" biomass production |
<)> 500 |
5.0E14 |
US insolation, December minimum |
<)> 20,000 |
2.0E16 |
World plants ( 99% land ) |
<)> 38,000 |
3.8E16 |
World land insolation |
<)> 170,000 |
1.7E17 |
World stratosphere insolation |
<)> 380,000,000,000,000 |
3.8E26 |
Solar output |
<)> 40,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
4.0E37 |
Galaxy output |
<)> 4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
4.0E48 |
Observable universe output |
Goal: 10kw/person, 10 billion people (100TW), 1 million years
Coal/gas/oil? No way.
Terrestrial Solar: US sized area, efficient planetary power grid, terawatt-scale storage. Maybe.
Terrestrial Nuclear: 1 billion year supply, lowers background radiation, but incompatible with sensationalistic journalism. Maybe.
Space Solar: Vastly more energy available, no competition with biosphere, leads to vast expansion of biosphere. Maybe.