he United States is currently considering standards to generate 20% of its electricity from renewable resource in the next 15 years. If this power is generated by wind turbines that generate 3 MW each, how many turbines will need to be installed in the next 15 years? At an average installed cost of $2000 per MW, what is the total generation investment needed?
To determine the number of wind turbines needed, we can start by calculating the total electricity generation required. Since the United States aims to generate 20% of its electricity from renewable resources in the next 15 years, we need to find 20% of the total electricity consumption over that period.
Next, we can calculate the total electricity consumption over 15 years and multiply it by 20% to find the amount that needs to be generated from renewable sources.
Now, let's assume the average installed capacity of each wind turbine is 3 MW. To find the number of turbines required, we divide the total electricity generation required by the capacity of each turbine.
To calculate the total generation investment needed, we can multiply the number of turbines by the average installed cost per MW.
Let's plug in the numbers:
1. Find the total electricity consumption over 15 years:
- Assume the total electricity consumption over 15 years is X.
2. Calculate the total electricity generation required from renewable sources:
- Renewable electricity generation = 20% of X.
3. Find the number of wind turbines required:
- Number of turbines = (Renewable electricity generation) / (Capacity of each turbine).
4. Calculate the total generation investment needed:
- Total investment = Number of turbines * Average installed cost per MW.
Please provide the value for X, the total electricity consumption over 15 years, to proceed with the calculations.