Sustainable Energy: True or False?

Question

A tidal power plant has been proposed for construction in the Newcastle region of England, where extreme tidal ranges are observed. The proposed plant would produce 100 GWh of electricity per annum.

"The tidal power system would produce enough electricity to power at least 15,000 homes."

Assuming a household electricity requirement of 18 kWh/d, is the above statement true or false?

Answer 1

100 GWh/y = 10¹¹ Wh in one year of energy produced.

 

We want consumption of energy in the same units to the energy produced to compare the numbers.

 

15,000 x 18 kWh/d x 365 d/y = 15 x 18 x 365 x 10⁶ Wh/y = 9.86 x 10¹⁰ Wh/y.

 

Since the energy produced is slightly more than that consumed, it is possible but the margin is not as great as it is implied in the claim.