Re: Energy Density of Coal Fired Power Plant

A 450 megawatt plant including coal and maintenance sheds and yard will
take up most of a square mile or 250 watts/m^2.

You can do better that with dish stirling.

Your subject line is about energy density, why are you talking in units
of
power/area?

To make sure you were awake reading these educational threads.

How much *energy* does that 450 MW plant generate in an average year,
versus
how much energy does the dish Stirling? I think that is the more
pertenent
question.

Once you factor in the height and width of the steam plant -- true
power density --, then dish Stirling _really_ looks better.

Excluding the coal pile, I'm skeptical.

Then the output is 0 watts/m^2.

Got some numbers?

You can get some numbers yourself.

Find a nearby coal fired plant -- they are the big ugly things they put
in undesirable places like the waterfront, industrial parks, airports,
etc. -- locate it on a map and measure the dimensions of the property.

Then call them up and ask engineering for the power output.

Stirling Energy Systems www.ses.com gets over 30% efficiency from solar
or over 300 kilowatts/m^2 and their shiny dishes look a WHOLE lot
better than a sooty plant.

Out in the desert where it's always sunny solar saves space over coal,
even when neglecting the strip mines in Montana.


Bret Cahill

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