P1_7 Solar-Powered Superhero: What’s Superman’s Power Consumption?

Abstract

In this paper, we assess the viability of Superman being powered by solar energy. We do this by calculating the energy that he would be able to absorb in a day - 3 × 107J - and comparing it to the energy that he requires to carry out certain superhuman activities. We find that he could leap the Empire State Building 75 times using the energy he acquires in a day, but he requires 3 days worth of energy to match the energy output of a train for one second.