On: Michelin Puts Puffy Sails on Cargo Ships

[kumarvvr]

Great analysis. I would like to add a few more points.

Energy extraction from oil is typically a low efficiency cycle. ICEs are around 30% efficient. Gas Plants are around 40% efficient.

Energy from solar -> batteries -> application usually hovers around 70 - 80% efficiency.

Motors are around 98% efficient. That covers most of our requirements for manufacturing. Conversion of electricity to heat is almost 96-98% efficient.

[pfdietz → kumarvvr]

Combined cycle gas plants are about 60% efficient (on a LHV basis).

Large marine diesel engines can have a thermal efficiency > 50%.

[folmar → kumarvvr]

> Energy from solar -> batteries -> application usually hovers around 70 - 80% efficiency.

Nope, energy from solar is around 20%, batteries are at around 90% efficiency.

[creato → folmar]

The dollars per unit energy already includes this inefficiency of photons to electricity though. You are double counting it.