Earth's Power Needs

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How much energy does the Earth use? How much energy is required to sustain the global economy through the year 2100? What green technologies can deliver these amounts of energy and how long to they take to put in place? We need to know the answers to these questions in order "pick the right strategy" to solve global warming. See H2Orbit.com for the answers.

1

Environmental Carbon Dioxide is
- Produced by burning hydrocarbons to create energy for civilization
- Through a process called ocean acidification is lowering the pH levels of the entire ocean affecting all sea life
- According to the "Keeling Curve" atmopheric carbon dioxide has been steadily increasing and is at record levels for as long as creatures roamed Earth
- Is melting polar and glacial ices causing the sea levels to rise faster than expected
- Is thawing permafrost regions causing them to release green house gases five times faster than previously anticipated
- Is warming the oceans increasing the threat from methane clathrate deposits releasing billions of tons of greenhouse gasses many times worse than CO2
- Can be extracted and sequestered through technology and industrial processes
- Can be used to create calcium carbonate soilids for building materials
- Calcium carbonate can be used to correct pH levels in waters.
- some that must be brought to pre-industrial revolutionary levels if we are to get on top of these problems
- All of the above
- can be handled with a few house plants. Nothing to fret over.
2

Where does the bulk of environmental carbon dioxide come from?
- Transportation
- Industry (Manufacturing, Energy Production, etc.)
- Mankind driven agriculture
- Individuals
3

If we solved 100% of ALL transportation related carbon dioxide emission problems what percentage of the total problem will we have corrected?
- 90%
- 75%
- 25%
- 5%
4

Since 1800 the oceans have absorbed over 120 Billion TONS of carbon dioxide resulting in
- accelerated deteroration of coral reefs around the world. Estimates are they will be anialated before the century is out.
- affects fish larvae and plankton growth
- is spurring cyanobacteria growths in some areas
- requires us to find a way to return these levels to pre-industrial revolution states as well
- All of the above
5

Currently the global power consumption is between 14-16 trillion watts. In 2100 how many watts would be required to stablized Earth's atmosphere at TWO TIMES pre-industrial revolutionary levels?
- 17 Trillion Watts
- 21 Trillion Watts
- 29 Trillion Watts
- 40 Trillion Watts
6

Stablizing Earth's atmosphere at TWO times pre-industrial revolutionary levels in 2100 will require about 40 Terrawatts. That's how many times 2006 Total Global Wind Generator Capacities?
- 1,000 times more than all wind generators operational in 2006
- 10,000 times larger than all wind generators operational in 2006
- 100,000 times larger than all wind generators operational in 2006
- > 500,000 times larger than all wind generators operational in 2006
7

What happens to wind generators if the wind stops blowing?
- Momentum keeps the blades turning till the wind comes back
- that generator is off line until the wind returns
- The wind blows all the time so that's not a problem
- If the wind stops blowing in Kansas it will still be blowing in Russia so we'll just transfer the power back on really long wires and vise versa when they need power
8

Terrestrial Solar Power is
- is less effecient than space based installations because there is no atmosphere to block the photons striking the cells
- only works when the sun is out and not otherwise inhibited by the weather
- requires large installation areas consuming many squre feet
- Requires individual inverter technology on every installation before it can be used by todays appliances
- All of the above is true
9

A significant factor in the costs associated with space based installations is overcoming Earth's gravity. These costs can be significantly reduced
- through the use of new launch vehicles
- space elevators crawling up carbon nano-tube reinforced cables stretching from the surface to orbit
- manufacturing the end product using materials that are already in orbit thereby reducing the amount of weight needing to be lifted
- All of the above are true
10

One solar power platform designed to deliver 10 Gigawatts of power would replace how many terrestrial power generation facilities, thereby eliminating the CO2 they produce?
- It would take five Solar Power Satellites to do that.
- One "power plant" usually has two generators each capable of about 980 Megawatts - so that one SPS would replace FIVE terrestrial energy plants
11

Extracting carbon dioxide from hydrocarbon based power plants today
- is not being done by most energy companies and there are hundreds of plants online belching CO2 by the tons
- adds costs to the consumer making energy unaffordable to many
- is utterly meaningless if the carbon dioxide extracted is not sequestered away from its influence on the biosphere
- All of the above is true
12

Space based power
- Gets increasingly affordable as the cost per pound to orbit is improved through new technolgies like the space elevator and new launch vehicles come on-line
- offers 100% green enduring and sustainable power capable of delivering ample energy for all needs on Earth
- Can easily be distributed globally through a network of geostaionary hubs
- Installed correctly the are online over 98% of the time (2% for maintinence)
- Creates hundreds of thousands of new jobs globally - revitalizing the economy
- Creates tens of thousands of secondary business opportunities also revitalizing the global economy
- Represents a threat to many existing hydrocarbon based corporations who will do and say anything to protect their interests
- Because of the ease of distribution the abundant green energy can be used in projects never before possible to provide health care and clean water to remote areas of the planet
- All of the above are true
13

In the context of question 5
- Our strategy to solve the problem must result in environmental carbon dioxide be brought to pre-industrial revolutionary levels
- because today we are about double pre-industrial revolutionary levels means just reducing emissions isn't good enough we have to sequester CO2 already in the atmosphere now
- Will require an agressive and large scale coalition of all nations to resolve
- All of the above are true
14

Space elevators
- will easily connect the surface and orbital installations like hotels and shipping facilities
- are currently being researched by Seattle based companies and NASA and will leverage carbon nano-tubes as a key technology
- significantly reduce the costs to orbit makeing them only slightly more expensive than driving 200 miles horizontally
- Were first poised by Arthur C Clarke in Fountains of Paradise
- All of the above are true
- can never be built and will remain in fiction forever
15

In the mid to early 70's a group of businesses asked the US Congress to allow them to purchase a shuttle orbiter and lease back facilities to pursue commercialization of space. Congress said no
- under the influence of lobbyists from utility, railroads, mining, labor unions, and others with entrenched positions
- stated that "the world is not ready to open up orbital space to business interests
- mankind has no motivation yet to go to space other than for purely scientific reasons
- and constituents sitting here some thirty+ years later are finding Global Warming to BE that compelling motivation
- All of the above are true
16

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Earth's Power Needs

Environmental Carbon Dioxide is

Where does the bulk of environmental carbon dioxide come from?

If we solved 100% of ALL transportation related carbon dioxide emission problems what percentage of the total problem will we have corrected?

Since 1800 the oceans have absorbed over 120 Billion TONS of carbon dioxide resulting in

Currently the global power consumption is between 14-16 trillion watts. In 2100 how many watts would be required to stablized Earth's atmosphere at TWO TIMES pre-industrial revolutionary levels?

Stablizing Earth's atmosphere at TWO times pre-industrial revolutionary levels in 2100 will require about 40 Terrawatts. That's how many times 2006 Total Global Wind Generator Capacities?

What happens to wind generators if the wind stops blowing?

Terrestrial Solar Power is

A significant factor in the costs associated with space based installations is overcoming Earth's gravity. These costs can be significantly reduced

One solar power platform designed to deliver 10 Gigawatts of power would replace how many terrestrial power generation facilities, thereby eliminating the CO2 they produce?

Extracting carbon dioxide from hydrocarbon based power plants today

Space based power

In the context of question 5

Space elevators

In the mid to early 70's a group of businesses asked the US Congress to allow them to purchase a shuttle orbiter and lease back facilities to pursue commercialization of space. Congress said no

Everyone is different, and so are their answers. What is your:

Post This Quiz

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