Sunday, October 24, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Lightning Grid Part 2:The Fun Bit
Dr. Emmett Brown: Marty, I’m sorry. But the only power source capable of generating 1.21 gigawatts of electricity is a bolt of lighting.
Marty McFly: (startled) What did you say?
Dr. Emmett Brown: A bolt of lightning. Unfortunately you never know when or where it’s gonna strike.
Marty McFly: We do now.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Lightning Grid Part 1: The boring bit
Theoretically there is enough electricity released in one lighting strike to power about 150,000,000 light bulbs. To put that in perspective there are about 15-30 light bulbs in an average US home. That means a single lighting strike could give light to about 10,000,000 American homes. Wow, wouldn’t that be great. However, the physics involved with successfully harnessing and storing lighting make it about as possible as time travel. As Ben stiller says in something about Mary, “So you’re saying there’s a chance!” Sorry, Ben, there is no chance. However, even without lighting we still get electricity, and we are able to light our houses, power our electronics, and even shave our moustaches. Amazing I know. Energy has never been more readily available than it is now, but at what cost. Our archaic energy grid has strained both our lights and our wallets for too long. But before I get to the grid let me quickly explain how we get our energy here in the US.
Monday, October 4, 2010
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