David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 12/4/2008 3:13 PM Pete C. spake thus:

As for the greenie who babbled about the sun and it being
inexhaustible - wrong, it will run out of energy one day too.

Since that was me, let me say how idiotic that objection is. It (the
sun) *is* inexhaustable for all intents and purposes, since when the
sun finally does go out, the game's over for all of us.

For those who think the country can run on sunbeams, it's reality-check
time.

The amount of solar radiation that falls on the earth's surface is about 745
watts/sq meter. At the equator. At noon. With no clouds.

Assuming you could conjure up a solar convertor (electric, steam, etc.)
that's 40% efficient, and adjusting for latitude, 12 hours of darkness,
clouds, dust, etc., it would take a solar collector facility the size of the
Los Angeles basin (~1200 sq miles) to provide power for the state of
California (~50 Gw).

The entire Interstate Highway system is 50,000 miles. Assuming 60' of
roadway, that's 568 square miles of concrete, less than half our required
solar collector. Imagine the cost to construct such a monster and the
expense to maintains something that massive!

On the plus side, everybody in Los Angeles would be in the dark.