Solved: The power of sunlight reaching each square meter
Chapter 34, Problem 22(choose chapter or problem)
The power of sunlight reaching each square meter of the Earth's surface on a clear day in the tropics is close to 1 000 W. On a winter day in Manitoba, the power concentration of sunlight can be \(100 \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m}^{2}\). Many human activities are described by a power per unit area on the order of \(10^{2} \mathrm{~W} / \mathrm{m}^{2}\) or less.
(a) Consider, for example, a family of four paying $66 to the electric company every 30 days for 600 kWh of energy carried by electrical transmission to their house, which has floor dimensions of 13.0 m by 9.50 m. Compute the power per unit area used by the family.
(b) Consider a car 2.10 m wide and 4.90 m long traveling at 55.0 mi/h using gasoline having heat of combustion 44.0 MJ/kg with fuel economy 25.0 mi/gal. One gallon of gasoline has a mass of 2.54 kg. Find the power per unit area used by the car.
(c) Explain why direct use of solar energy is not practical for running a conventional automobile.
(d) What are some uses of solar energy that are more practical?
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