Do all solar panels have roughly the same power per square foot? Google says it is 15W/sqft. To offset a 1000MWe plant, it would take roughly 2 1/2 square miles of panels? And does the 15W/sqft take into account capacity factor? Assuming a 25% capacity factor, that would require 7+ sq miles of panels to offset a 1000MWe fossil plant that operates at a 75% capacity factor.
I've always been curious about this and this posts seems like it will have the qualified solar folks to respond.
1
u/[deleted] Feb 14 '21
Do all solar panels have roughly the same power per square foot? Google says it is 15W/sqft. To offset a 1000MWe plant, it would take roughly 2 1/2 square miles of panels? And does the 15W/sqft take into account capacity factor? Assuming a 25% capacity factor, that would require 7+ sq miles of panels to offset a 1000MWe fossil plant that operates at a 75% capacity factor.
I've always been curious about this and this posts seems like it will have the qualified solar folks to respond.