A 32% efficient electric power plant produces 900 MJ of electric energy per second and discharges waste heat into 20°C ocean water. Suppose the waste heat could be used to heat homes during the winter instead of being discharged into the ocean. A typical American house requires an average 20 kW for heating. How many homes could be heated with the waste heat of this one power plant?

Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text
5th Edition
ISBN:9781133104261
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Chapter18: Heat Engines, Entropy, And The Second Law Of Thermodynamics
Section18.4: Heat Pumps And Refrigerators
Problem 18.3QQ
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A 32% efficient electric power plant produces 900 MJ of electric energy per second and discharges waste heat into 20°C ocean water. Suppose the waste heat could be used to heat homes during the winter instead of being discharged into the ocean. A typical American house requires an average 20 kW for heating. How many homes could be heated with the waste heat of this one power plant?

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