SGU Episode 467
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| SGU Episode 467 |
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| June 21st 2014 |
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| (brief caption for the episode icon) |
| Skeptical Rogues |
| S: Steven Novella |
B: Bob Novella |
R: Rebecca Watson |
J: Jay Novella |
E: Evan Bernstein |
| Quote of the Week |
We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate. |
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th President of the United States |
| Links |
| Download Podcast |
| Show Notes |
| Forum Discussion |
Introduction
You're listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, your escape to reality.
This Day in Skepticism ()
- June 21: Summer Solstice
Special Report ()
- Cosmos Series with Neil DeGrasse Tyson
News Items
Chopra Challenge to Skeptics ()
New Computer Architecture ()
Dr Oz Skewered ()
Self-Repairing Teeth ()
Who's That Noisy ()
- Answer to last week: Gwyneth Paltrow
Questions and Emails
Question #1: Solar Energy ()
I saw this graphic about solar energy on your facebook page: http://boingboing.net/2014/06/12/the-total-area-of-solar-panels.htmlHaving a little experience with renewable electricity generation, this graphic seemed overly optimistic. So I dug into the numbers a bit more.Apparently this graphic comes from a diploma thesis (http://www.dlr.de/…/Ecobalance_of_a_Solar_Electricity… ). On page 11 she takes 250GWh/km^2 as an assumed base yield. This would work out to 250kWh/m^2. But according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun#Sunlight ) we only receive about 1kW/m^2 of energy at the surface of the earth. Where are those extra 249kw/m^2 coming from?I then looked up numbers for an existing solar generation plant- the 354 MW SEGS solar complex in northern San Bernardino County, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Energy_Generating_Systems ). This plant can generate up to 354 MW but covers 1,600 acres or 6.475 km^2. This suggests a yield of approximately 55 MW / km^2 or 0.055 kW / m^2.Am I making a silly mathematical mistake or is this graphic in error by three orders of magnitude?Paul LaMar United States
Science or Fiction ()
Item #1: The average American uses 80-100 gallons of water per day, mostly from flushing toilets. Item #2: There are 19 known phases of ice. Item #3: A new analysis of the surface of Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, and its orbit around Pluto concludes that it likely harbors liquid water beneath its surface.
Skeptical Quote of the Week ()
“We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief, nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate.”- Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th President of the United States
S: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking. For more information on this and other episodes, please visit our website at theskepticsguide.org, where you will find the show notes as well as links to our blogs, videos, online forum, and other content. You can send us feedback or questions to info@theskepticsguide.org. Also, please consider supporting the SGU by visiting the store page on our website, where you will find merchandise, premium content, and subscription information. Our listeners are what make SGU possible.
References
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