Argh I hate how they never show installation costs upfront...
this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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People think the cost of the panel is the most expensive, but it's actually the 151 million km copper cable
Why can't we just wirelessly transmit the power, maybe have it hit a collection device that can harness about 4 kwh/m^2/day
Hey that's not a bad idea. We could install these receivers on people's roofs or in big parking lots
Copper wouldn't cut it, too much resistance. You need a superconductor... only problem is how to keep it cold enough at below 1000C.
Easy, just cool it with some sort of space refrigerator. Solar powered of course.
Net electricity arrived on earth after cooling cost: 1kwh/day
In units of JWSTs
Build a Dyson Sphere and make $188 septillion/year
Return on investment in just 37,561 years, start building today!
If you need that kind of power return on investment Is irrelevant anyway.
Death Star won't power itself you know!
Wait, it won't? You're telling me all this time we could've just cut the power cord to Death Star and the Empire would become powerless?
Sorry it's a earlier iteration of the death star self powered one is being developed.
Is it true that you can get 4kwh per day per square meter? My average electricity consumption is ~15kwh/day, so if I can potentially offset most of my grid usage with just 4 square meters of solar panel, that seems very attractive. I live in a tropical country btw.
No, 4kwh is about the daily amount of sun hitting 1 square meter. Solar panels can capture about 20% of that
Each of my panels has a theoretical capacity of 390 Watts per hour. So 4kwh in a day seems very feasible. My panels are certainly not the cutting edge of technology!
Your 390W is if the sun is in the zenith and hitting your panel at right angle. Also, are you sure your panel is 1m^2?
Fair point about the size of my panels. I think they are larger than 1m^2!
Over the past year I'm averaging about 1.1 kwh per day per square meter on my system.
i would imagine living somewhere tropical might be even better
And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer's shunned, you might as well be installing solar panels on the sun
So don't delay, act now! Supplies are running out
Allow, if you're still alive
Six to eight years to arrive in low solar orbit