Challis Hodge’s UXblog

You might remember that Google announced it’s solar energy project in October of 2006. The project was projected to offset roughly 1/3 of Google’s peak electricity use at their headquarters in Mountain View (Googleplex). That would be the equivalent to the electricity requirements of approximately 1,000 average California homes.

At the time of this posting Google had produced 9,993 kilowatt-hours of electricity from the sun during the previous 24 hours. To date they’ve installed roughly 8,200 panels on 8 buildings and 2 carports. That’s about 90% of their plan.

Makes me think. OK, lets do some quick math.

So, divide the 4,104,900,000,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity we use annually in the U.S. by 365 days and we get 11,246,301,370 kilowatt-hours per day.

Divide 9,993 kilowatt-hours by 10 buildings at Googleplex. That’s roughly 1,000 kilowatt-hours per building. Now, for kicks lets multiply that by the roughly 3,000 Walmart stores and we get 3,000,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Quickly divide the U.S. consumption by the potential electricity generated on top of the Walmart stores and that tells us we only have to repeat the process 3,800 times and we’ve covered the electricity needs in the U.S.

Of course the math here is basically meaningless but for one point. It shows us that alternative solutions are not inconceivable. These are numbers and orders of magnitude we can all grasp and understand.

I received a spam email today touting Harry Braun for President. Here is the banner image and accompanying quote:

Harry Braun’s Vision for America & Spaceship Earth
The Windship images were painted by Artist William Bond for
The National Geographic Society

Braun, a so called Analyst and author is running as an Independent Candidate for President based on his Phoenix Project plan to employ millions of Americans and supercharge the economy by making America energy independent of all fossil and nuclear fuels by 2010. He will accomplish this by mass-producing wind-powered hydrogen production systems, including sea-based ‘Windships’ like the ones pictured above. The tugboat in the picture shuttlinging the crew that will live and work in the submerged spherical hull. The hulls also contain the electrolytic hydrogen production systems that will make hydrogen from the seawater with the electricity generated by the mast of wind turbines. Braun claims that the equipment located under the water will create a “vast sanctuary for the fish and other marine organisms that will otherwise be driven into extinction by 2010, if business and ‘politics as usual’ is allowed to continue.”

Spaceship Earth!! You go Harry!! Phoenix Project is awesome but it’s not going to propell you to the Whitehouse!