In reply to Frederick Sparber's message of Mon, 23 Oct 2006 02:32:13 -0600: Hi, [snip] >generate 200 megawatts of green electricity, enough to power 200,000 homes.
That 200 megawatts is probably "name plate" i.e. maximum power output. Assuming there is never a cloud in the sky, a more realistic figure is 1/4 of that on average. IOW the real continuous power output is likely to be nearer to 50 MW. (Unless this has already been taken into account, and the maximum is actually 800 MW). (Pi x r^2)/(4 x Pi x r^2) = 1/4 x 1 kW/m^2 = 250 W /m^2 average continuous power flux across the surface of the Earth. Near the tropics of course, it is somewhat better, but always less than 1/2. [snip] >The project will be built at a cost of $350 million and create over 2,000 At 50 MW, that would be $7/Watt, which is definitely on the high side, and that's assuming that they can actually get such a huge structure built for a mere $350 million. Of course, if it really is 200 MW, and gets built on budget, then it's only $1.75 / Watt, which is quite competitive, especially taking into consideration that thereafter, the fuel is free. Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://users.bigpond.net.au/rvanspaa/ Competition provides the motivation, Cooperation provides the means.
