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BLSmith2112 t1_ixx6rzc wrote

Reply to comment by CuriousSequoia in Record efficiency of 26.81% for large silicon solar cells by Wagamaga

If you had a field of these 26.81% efficient solar panels in the same footprint of a nuclear power plant (including all off limit areas and borders), this would generate the same amount of electricity. Throw some batteries in there and you've got yourself a much better system in that you don't need to wait 10 years to put it up.

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lease1982 t1_ixxktik wrote

And they can also be distributed directly to the energy consumer much easier than nuclear can. A huge benefit for home and business self reliability and grid reliability.

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Majik_Sheff t1_ixy20xp wrote

I thought the turnaround on a new nuclear plant from approval to lights-on was around 30 years. Am I way off here?

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danielravennest t1_ixyop61 wrote

The Vogtle Units 3 & 4 reactors in Georgia, the only ones still under construction, started construction on 22 June 2009. They are both planned to start operating next year. #3 has been fueled, but still doing tests before ramping up to full power.

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iLikeMeeces t1_ixy7mam wrote

What?! That is completely untrue.

For a solar farm to equal a nuclear reactor's output (let's say 1000MW) it would require about 40 square miles of land. A nuclear facility requires about 1.5 to 2 for that same output.

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Tomcatjones t1_ixy9u6a wrote

First of all… your figures are incorrect lol

but you are right the size isn’t the same.

The largest solar park is 21 square miles. And it produces 2.5 GW

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7734128 t1_ixyawu1 wrote

There's a greater difference than that. Not that it matters that much, as we have quite a lot of dessert and wasteland globally.

A 2.5 GW solar plant would in reality average between 0.25 and 0.5 GW due to limited capacity factor. A nuclear power plant usually also use multiple reactors, with only limited increase in size.

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BasvanS t1_ixzs6tf wrote

A power plant can’t be built on rooftops. Rooftops also have less inefficiency from grid transmissions. HEMS however have lower efficiency when battery power is used. Nuclear power plants are open to attacks. So is the software of inverters. It’s a messy calculation, but below the line to me the decentralized solution, with solar energy generated close to where it’s used and excesses stored in EVs is the winning combo.

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ukezi t1_ixydbun wrote

That is 2.5 GW peak, average will be a lot lower.

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Tomcatjones t1_ixye4sh wrote

732,874mwh per year

Which is 2000 per day

Pretty damn good. 3.1cents per kWh in 2020

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