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A solar farm is capable of producing 350 Mwh per year/per acre and it takes 18 kwh to power a Tesla for a 100km ride [1], so a single acre of solar power can pr

A solar farm is capable of producing 350 Mwh per year/per acre and it takes 18 kwh to power a Tesla for a 100km ride [1], so a single acre of solar power can produce enough energy for 19,000 of those rides, or power 190 cars (10.000 km per year) just by putting a bit more than the roof of their parking lots in solar cells! Maybe you don't need that much of a grid update at all, and even maybe quite the opposite if you consider that you car could power your house indirectly using solar power. Best case, you'd be actually the grid even less than you do with out an electric battery in your garage...

LunaSea 5y ago
> Maybe you don't need that much of a grid update at all Besides the tons of batteries that are needed? > if you consider that you car could power your house indirectly using solar power Well besides the times where you drive your car. Also the car's batteries wouldn't last very long due to constantly being cycled.
- imtringued 5y ago
  >Besides the tons of batteries that are needed? They are inside the car and that is pretty much the point. >Well besides the times where you drive your car. Also the car's batteries wouldn't last very long due to constantly being cycled. If there are people that want a 200 mile range car, then there are people that want a 600 mile range car with 66% degradation.
kaydub 5y ago
Where are you finding that an acre of solar will generate 350 Mwh of power? My local solar power plant is nowhere near that kind of output. http://newsroom.fpl.com/2019-03-28-FPL-announces-plan-to-build-the-worlds-largest-solar-powered-battery-and-drive-accelerated-retirement-of-fossil-fuel-generation http://newsroom.fpl.com/2019-03-28-FPL-announces-plan-to-bui...
- HPsquared 5y ago
  Compare "megawatt-hours generated per year" to "megawatts of installed capacity". Very different measurements.
  - rfrey 5y ago
    The linked article says 900 MWh from a 40 acre installation.
    - helloguillecl 5y ago
      ...of a storage unit.
    - HPsquared 5y ago
      That's storage capacity, not annual generation. Again note the units: MWh, compared to MWh/year.
- helloguillecl 5y ago
  "When it comes to solar energy per acre, a photovoltaic solar plant which on average produces 1 GWh per year, will require around 2.8 acres of land. Therefore, we can say that for every acre, the plant produces an average of 0.357 GWh or 357 MWh of energy per year." [1] [1] https://greencoast.org/solar-farm-land-requirements/ https://greencoast.org/solar-farm-land-requirements/ "
kortilla 5y ago
This misses the point. The issue isn’t the generation, it’s the last mile grid infrastructure to the huge portion of homes/apartments where solar isn’t feasible.
- helloguillecl 5y ago
  Again, you are discarding a change of paradigm. Local sourced generation using a rooftop solar panel means you don't need the grid as much as you'd think. Because the energy source is next to your car and your neighbours who could also provide it.
  - kortilla 5y ago
    You didn’t even make it through my whole comment before you commented. Rooftop solar is not an option for a huge chunk of the population.
    - helloguillecl 5y ago
      Agree, sorry I didn't read the last part.

LunaSea 5y ago

> Maybe you don't need that much of a grid update at all Besides the tons of batteries that are needed? > if you consider that you car could power your house indirectly using solar power Well besides the times where you drive your car. Also the car's batteries wouldn't last very long due to constantly being cycled.

imtringued 5y ago
>Besides the tons of batteries that are needed? They are inside the car and that is pretty much the point. >Well besides the times where you drive your car. Also the car's batteries wouldn't last very long due to constantly being cycled. If there are people that want a 200 mile range car, then there are people that want a 600 mile range car with 66% degradation.

kaydub 5y ago

Where are you finding that an acre of solar will generate 350 Mwh of power? My local solar power plant is nowhere near that kind of output. http://newsroom.fpl.com/2019-03-28-FPL-announces-plan-to-build-the-worlds-largest-solar-powered-battery-and-drive-accelerated-retirement-of-fossil-fuel-generation http://newsroom.fpl.com/2019-03-28-FPL-announces-plan-to-bui...

HPsquared 5y ago
Compare "megawatt-hours generated per year" to "megawatts of installed capacity". Very different measurements.
- rfrey 5y ago
  The linked article says 900 MWh from a 40 acre installation.
  - helloguillecl 5y ago
    ...of a storage unit.
  - HPsquared 5y ago
    That's storage capacity, not annual generation. Again note the units: MWh, compared to MWh/year.
helloguillecl 5y ago
"When it comes to solar energy per acre, a photovoltaic solar plant which on average produces 1 GWh per year, will require around 2.8 acres of land. Therefore, we can say that for every acre, the plant produces an average of 0.357 GWh or 357 MWh of energy per year." [1] [1] https://greencoast.org/solar-farm-land-requirements/ https://greencoast.org/solar-farm-land-requirements/ "

kortilla 5y ago

This misses the point. The issue isn’t the generation, it’s the last mile grid infrastructure to the huge portion of homes/apartments where solar isn’t feasible.

helloguillecl 5y ago
Again, you are discarding a change of paradigm. Local sourced generation using a rooftop solar panel means you don't need the grid as much as you'd think. Because the energy source is next to your car and your neighbours who could also provide it.
- kortilla 5y ago
  You didn’t even make it through my whole comment before you commented. Rooftop solar is not an option for a huge chunk of the population.
  - helloguillecl 5y ago
    Agree, sorry I didn't read the last part.