CALC-058
Physical sanity check: delivered energy per kilogram launched
What this is
This is the project's own arithmetic, published in full so it can be checked rather than taken on trust. It is not a source. Every input it uses is cited to a record, and the conclusion it reaches only carries as far as those inputs do.
Feeds CLM-0257. Answers QST-004. Basis: physical units (kWh/kg), no currency.
Script. lcoe-model.py SECTION 9, section_sanity_check(), line 901.
Why it was needed. Included per the originating task's own instruction to sanity-check the dollar model against a physical quantity. A cost model that is internally consistent can still be built on an impossible physical premise, and a kWh-per-kg figure is the cheapest test of that.
Inputs.
| Quantity | Value | Source | Stated or assumed |
|---|---|---|---|
| RD1 lifetime delivered energy | 5.332e11 kWh | derived, 30-yr life | STATED (derived) |
| RD1 total hardware mass launched | 17,700,000 kg | initial build plus two refurbishment cycles, i.e. 3x initial upmass | STATED (derived), consistent with CALC-053's launch-count derivation |
| RD2 lifetime delivered energy | 5.314e11 kWh | derived | STATED (derived) |
| RD2 total hardware mass launched | 30,300,000 kg | 3x initial upmass | STATED (derived) |
| Terrestrial PV comparator | order 1e4 to 1e5 kWh/kg | - | ASSUMED / illustrative. Not a cited study result |
Working, transcribed.
RD1 5.332e11 kWh / 17,700,000 kg = 30,122 kWh/kg
RD2 5.314e11 kWh / 30,300,000 kg = 17,537 kWh/kgResult: RD1 delivers about 30,122 kWh per kilogram launched; RD2 about 17,537.
Conclusion. The two designs deliver nearly identical total energy from very different total mass, which is the physical statement of the same fact CALC-055 reaches financially.
Where this fails. A physical consistency check only. It does not establish whether this is a favourable or unfavourable ratio, because the comparator is assumed rather than sourced. The terrestrial-PV figure quoted in the write-up is illustrative. Until a real comparator is cited, this record states two numbers and nothing about them.
Cite this
energyaperture.com/calc/calc-058
CALC-058. The working above, not a source document.