A satellite circling the earth has an average power consumption of 370.0 W. Assuming 5.4% efficiency for conversion of solar energy to electrical energy, what area is required for the solar panels?
The solar irradiance at the earth's distance is about H = 1366 W/m^2.
To generate 370 W of electricity with 5.4% efficiency, you need an area A such that:
1366 W/m^2*(0.054)*A = 370 Watts
Solve for A, in square meters. The panels will have to always face the sun
To determine the required area for the solar panels, we need to follow these steps:
Step 1: Calculate the total power needed by the satellite.
The power consumption of the satellite is given as 370.0 W.
Step 2: Calculate the power generated by the solar panels.
The efficiency of the conversion of solar energy to electrical energy is stated as 5.4%. This means that only 5.4% of the solar energy can be converted into electrical energy.
To calculate the power generated by the solar panels, we need to divide the total power needed by the efficiency:
Power generated = Total power needed / Efficiency
Step 3: Calculate the incident solar energy on the satellite.
Since we know the power generated by the solar panels, we need to convert it to incident solar energy. We can do this by dividing the power generated by the solar panels by the efficiency:
Incident solar energy = Power generated / Efficiency
Step 4: Calculate the area required for the solar panels.
The power generated by the solar panels is proportional to the incident solar energy. We can use this relationship to calculate the area required for the solar panels.
The formula to calculate the area required for the solar panels is:
Area = Power generated / Solar flux
The solar flux is a measure of the average power received per unit area from the Sun. On average, it is approximately 1361 W/m^2.
Using the above steps, we can calculate the required area for the solar panels.