Re:Solar panel waste may not be nearly as bad as we once tho...
by aftbit on Sunday November 13, 2022 @03:36PM
(#33587078)
Look up the Carnot cycle and its efficiency. This is theorized to be the best possible efficiency for a heat engine. All heat engines work by rejecting a large fraction of their input heat to an output heat sink. I've heard efficiencies in the 30-50% range for big coal and nuclear plants, much lower for smaller plants.
Re:Solar panel waste may not be nearly as bad as we once tho...
by 8note on Sunday November 13, 2022 @04:56PM
(#33587783)
For specifity, ICE engines will look more like an Otto cycle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_cycle
That doesn't check out for me. ICE engines are inefficient because much of the energy from the fuel is converted into heat rather than kinetic energy. Every ICE engine has a radiator whose sole purpose is to vent off waste heat from the engine. ICE engines don't even need a distinct heating element to keep the cabin warm, the waste heat from the engine is more heat than the cabin will ever need.
I don't know that much about how power stations work, but surely it is not this inefficient.
EDIT: Did a bit of reading on gas/coal power plants and it sounds like they are indeed very inefficient: as bad as 20 percent, as good as 60 percent: https://www.energy.gov/fecm/how-gas-turbine-power-plants-wor...
That is mildly horrifying.