Molecular Impact Steam Technology
COMPARISON CHART
Kilowatt-Hours
Electrical power is measured in kilowatt-hours, abbreviated kWh.
According to conversion of units, 1 kWh = 3412 Btu. But if you actually convert some fuel to electricity, some energy will be lost due to the inefficiency of the generating process. We refer to this inefficiency by using the heat rate, which is the actual amount of fuel required to produce 1 kWh. For example, if the heat rate is 8000 Btu, then the efficiency is 3412 ÷ 8400 = 40.6%. Here are the efficiences for different kinds of fuels (usually for turning a steam turbine):
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Coal: 33.6%
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Petroleum: 25.5-33.3%
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Natural Gas: 29.4-44.8%
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MIST: 400%-500%
Source: Energy Information Administration 1, 2 (PDFs)
Water requirement
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Solar plant with dry cooling: 80 gallons per megawatt-hour
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Nuclear plants (with closed-loop cooling): 700-1100 gallons per megawatt-hour
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Nuclear plants (with open-loop cooling): 25,000-60,000 gallons per megawatt-hour
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Coal-fired plants (closed-loop): 500-600 gallons per megawatt-hour
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Coal-fired plants (open-loop): 20,000-50,000 gallons per megawatt-hour
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Biomass (crops grown for the purpose of fuel): 40,000 to 100,000 gallons per megawatt-hour
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Natural gas fracking: 2-10 million gallons per well
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MIST: Minimal amounts of water is in a closed-loop sapce
From the Civil Society Institute.