Power

• ↑1 power: human (200,000 BC, 75W)
• ↑2 power: horse (2000 BC, 750W)
• ↑5 power: automobile (1900, 200HP=150kW)
• ↑7 power: jetplane (1950, 90MW)
• ↑10 power: Three Gorges Dam (2012, 22GW)
• ↑10 power: rocket (2010, 26GW)
• ↑13 power: total human power consumption

Conversions

• ↑-19: electronvolt (eV)
• ↑-6: erg
• ↑0: joule, watt
• ↑4: AA battery
• ↑8: therm
• ↑0.6: heat calorie
• ↑10: barrel of oil or gasoline
• ↑12.6: kiloton of TNT

Energy density

• dynamite: 4MJ/kg = ↑6
• gasoline: 45MJ/kg = ↑7
• Hydrogen combustion: 140MJ/kg = ↑8
• Uranium fission: 80TJ/kg = ↑13
• Hydrogen fusion: 500TJ/kg = ↑14
• Antimatter: 90PJ/kg = ↑17 (almost)

Derived Units

A kilowatt-hour is ↑6.5 energy: ↑3 (kilo) + ↑0 (watt) + ↑3.5 (hour).

A food calorie (kcal) is ↑3.6 energy: ↑3 (k) x ↑0.6 (cal).

1 “toe” (ton of oil equivalent = 10 gigacalories) is ↑10.6 energy. So an “Mtoe” (million tons of oil equivalent) is ↑16.6 energy.

Example: Human power consumption

Energy statistics are given in a variety of units, like MToe/year and TWh/year. MToe/year is ↑16.6 (as above)

The world produces ↑20.5 energy per year. Factoring out the year (↑7.5) gives ↑13 power.

So humans need 1000x more power to become a Kardashian Type I civilization.

calories in, calories out

Human daily energy intake is 2000 kcal:

↑3.3    2000
↑3.6    kcal

↑2      power input

Human power output is about ↑1.5 minimum, ↑2 sustained, ↑3 peak.

Example: Kardashev Civilizations

For what it’s worth, the sun radiates ↑27 power, and the earth receives ↑17 power from that.

Kardashev Type I/II/III civilizations are ↑17/↑27/↑37 plus or minus ↑2.