Background: Peter & David Schwartzman (a son and father team) have created this page to encourage more mathematical/scientific discourse in the needed transition from a fossil-fuel based economy to a renewable energy driven one.
(A) Energy from Power (info popup)This calculator converts power to energy for power used over a period of time.
(B) How many wind turbines or how big a solar array do you/we need? (info popup)Assuming that people use a certain amount of electricity at home, one can calcuate how big a solar array or wind turbine farm is needed.
(Assumptions: Per capita residential electricity use in USA: 4,348 kWh/yr; Capacity factors: Wind = 35%; Annual Solar Production = 357 MWh/acre. Since sun and wind resources are not available 24/7, it is advisable that a mix of the two sources be installed.)
(C) Energy from Photovoltaics
(Assumptions: Derating factor = 0.77)
(D) Energy from Wind
(E) Carbon Dioxide Reduction using RE (info popup)In our 2021 published study, we determined how much CO2 emissions could be reduced through a deliberate effort to shift to renewable energy. We share are "calculator" here. Notice, it matters which fossil fuel is displaced and, most surprising to many, natural gas is the fossil fuel most warranting reduction (due to the methods currently used for extraction which emit a tremendous amount of methane--a powerful greenhouse gas--inadvertently).
(F) Creating RE from FF (as discussed in Schwartzman & Schwartzman's 2011 report, "A Solar Transition is Possible": link) (info popup)In our 2011 report, we computed how much renewable energy was feasibly creating using fossil fuel (and existing RE) as investments for the build out of new RE infrastruture. We provide our calculator here. Notice, that with conservative values used in the model, RE production can easily double current overall global energy production levels in 20 years or less.