Yet another sidetrack

[Spartan159]

So, instead of, well, y'know, actually playing the game, I've been working on my own personal equipment list with variations for TL and trying to make items make sense. Among other things, I've made portable fusion generators into fusion plus for instance.

One of the things I've been looking at is solar power. I want someone to check me on my beliefs here, and also give me some ballpark data.

1) I'm calculating solar energy at a planet as follows:
3.846*10²⁶ * (star luminosity) / 4*pi*R² where R equals planetary orbit distance converted to meters. Result in watts/square meter.

2) Energy transmission through earth's standard atmosphere is ~75% multiplying energy by this gives watts/square meter at the surface.

Question: What would be the transmission rates for Very Thin, Thin, and Dense atmospheres?

3) Semi-arbitrary guess at a TL based solar panel efficiency list based on the current real world out of the lab values and potential theories:

TL - Efficiency
6 - 5%
7 - 10%
8 - 15%
9 - 20%
10 - 25%
11 - 30%
12 - 35%
13 - 40%
14 - 45%
15 - 50%
16 - 55%

I'm no Asimov so it's basically a linear list based on the googled theory that maximum efficiency is ~40ish %

4) surface energy * solar efficiency gives watts per square meter of solar panel.

5) What to do with this information: Got me, but at least it's a reference once I figure out how much it takes to recharge power cells :coffeesip:

And yeah, once I educated myself slightly, the values in MT design and TNE FF&S look a bit too effective.

Comments welcome.

 

[Barsanuphius]

So, instead of, well, y'know, actually playing the game, I've been working on my own personal equipment list with variations for TL and trying to make items make sense. Among other things, I've made portable fusion generators into fusion plus for instance.

One of the things I've been looking at is solar power. I want someone to check me on my beliefs here, and also give me some ballpark data.

1) I'm calculating solar energy at a planet as follows:
3.846*10²⁶ * (star luminosity) / 4*pi*R² where R equals planetary orbit distance converted to meters. Result in watts/square meter.

2) Energy transmission through earth's standard atmosphere is ~75% multiplying energy by this gives watts/square meter at the surface.

Question: What would be the transmission rates for Very Thin, Thin, and Dense atmospheres?

3) Semi-arbitrary guess at a TL based solar panel efficiency list based on the current real world out of the lab values and potential theories:

TL - Efficiency
6 - 5%
7 - 10%
8 - 15%
9 - 20%
10 - 25%
11 - 30%
12 - 35%
13 - 40%
14 - 45%
15 - 50%
16 - 55%

I'm no Asimov so it's basically a linear list based on the googled theory that maximum efficiency is ~40ish %

4) surface energy * solar efficiency gives watts per square meter of solar panel.

5) What to do with this information: Got me, but at least it's a reference once I figure out how much it takes to recharge power cells :coffeesip:

And yeah, once I educated myself slightly, the values in MT design and TNE FF&S look a bit too effective.

Comments welcome.

Ah...huh...uhm....Yeah. I should show this to my wife she's the scientist.

 

[Spartan159]

Possible energy atmospheric transfer rates, based on Visible/IR laser range table (124, pg 97) in T4 FF&S:

Vacuum and Trace: 100%
Very Thin: 87.5%
Thin: 80%
Standard: 75%
Dense: 37.5%
Exotic: 7.5%

 

[McPerth]

1) I'm calculating solar energy at a planet as follows:
3.846*10²⁶ * (star luminosity) / 4*pi*R² where R equals planetary orbit distance converted to meters. Result in watts/square meter.

The main orbital distance for Earth in about 150 Mkm, So 150 x 10⁹ m...

So, your divisor would be 4 * (150 x 10⁹)²; so about 225 x 10²⁰, or 2.25 x 10²²...

So, the forumla would be (according your own numbers) about (3.846 x 10²⁶)/(2.25 x 10²²), or 1.71 x 10⁴ wats/m², or 0.017 Mw/m².

As I assume the numbers in MT:RM (page 64) are for space vehicles (so forfeiting the atmospheric efect), it would be nice up to TL 9 (where it would represent about 70% efficiency), while at higher TLs it either produces energy that is not only due to fotovoltaic effect (heat, solar wind, whatever it can be) or the output is far too high (asa you say).

It's not the only instance on MT that gives you more energy than posible (see this old thread of mine...)

Exotic: 7.5%

See that exotic atmospheres may be quite varied, so I'd suggest a randomized range (as it's done for Greenhouse Effect in MT:WBH, page 65)