How Much Fuel We Need For A Year?

Guest Author | January 19, 2015 | Energy, Guest posts | No Comments

Electricity has become the most important necessity to accomplish our day to day tasks. Without electricity offices and households can’t go a minute. Average energy consumption of a UK Household in 2013 was 4,170 kWh. It is not only about the comfort but work too.

It would not be wrong if we will say that electricity has been a major invention playing a leading role in making the life easy and comfortable. Electricity describes the present life, be it at the residence or at the place of work, it is an irreplaceable element. People in most parts of the world can’t visualize life without the lights shining up after its dark, the fan making the days in summer relaxed and even the morning bread coming out hot from the toaster. Quality and adequate lighting isn’t lavishness but a requirement.

As the energy consumption is increasing rapidly throughout the world, Auto LED Shop is created this infographic to show how much energy whether electrical, coal, nuclear or otherwise is needed to power up a house for month.

Here are the estimates:

Coal: Burning one ton of coal creates 2460 kWh of energy. We need 1.70 tons of coal for generating 4170 kWh energy which equals to 3400 pounds of burned coal. Hence we need at least 3400 pounds of burned coal to power up a household for a month.

Nuclear: 1 pound of the uranium 235 isotope can produce 10,246,469 kWh of energy. So we require 0.0004 pounds to generate 4170 kWh of energy. But this is not the end estimate; we need to divide it by the average thermal efficiency of uranium 235, the pounds of uranium needed now is 0.0011 pounds. Now divide this by .007 (uranium 235 isotopes needed for nuclear fission makes up only .7% of raw uranium) = 0.16 pounds Natural Uranium. Hence we need at least 0.16 pounds Natural Uranium to power up an average UK household for a month.

Natural Gas: 1 pound of natural gas can produce 6.12 kWh of energy. 681 pounds of natural gas is needed to generate 4170 kWh of energy.

Wind: 1.5 megawatt turbine rotating 365 days and 24 hours with 25% capacity will generate 3285 mWh of energy. Hence we need 1.5 megawatt turbine operating at 25% efficiency for 8 hour and 42 minutes to generate 4170 kWh of energy. Countries today are trying to utilize the power of wind to generate electricity. In the near future we will surely see good outcomes.

Solar: 100 one square meter panels producing 100 kWh would require for 41 days and 14 hours for producing 4170 kWh of energy.

Well the total consumption of the electricity depends on several factors. Due to the rising costs of electricity people today are searching for energy efficient solutions like LEDs.