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Yes because land is free, according to solar power proponents

by krupan 3y ago

defrost 3y ago
Cheap in equatorial areas suitable for massive solar farms with expected daytime tempretures of 40-50 C, yes. Free, not exactly, but certainly affordable. https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2022/04/08/andrew-forrest-buys-up-three-cattle-stations-for-5gw-renewable-energy-hub/ https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2022/04/08/andrew-forr... For scale reference those solar farms | cattle stations are to provide power to mining operations that ship almost a billion tonnes of iron ore per annum (and remove a factor of overburden) consuming major amounts of fossil fuel in the process. Work is also underway to upgrade trains that roll that billion tonnes to the coast down a 600m height differential to recoup energy. See: Infinity train. You appear to be carrying some beef about "solar power proponents" being unrealistic hippy socialists rather than multi billion dollar industrialists.
dgacmu 3y ago
The amount of material in solar panels is tiny compared to our other landfill-destined refuse streams, and it needs to be compared to the analogous waste streams from other forms of energy generation. Nuclear creates long term storage needs. Coal creates tailings. Fracking pollutes groundwater. The US installed about 32 GW of solar in 2023. (1) A modern 395W bifacial solar module (2) weighs 25.7kg; about 65g per watt. That's about two million metric tons of solar panels to handle every year. In contrast, the US produces about 73 million metric tons of plastic waste per year. We landfill a total of about 131 million metric tons per year (3) -- and that's ignoring that things like coal tailings aren't accounted for in landfilling amounts. We produce and burn about 534 million metric tons of coal per year. The numbers are large but the relative cost of solar panels 50 years hence is likely extremely tolerable compared to the alternatives. (1) https://www.seia.org/news/solar-installations-2023-expected-exceed-30-gw-first-time-history https://www.seia.org/news/solar-installations-2023-expected-... (2) https://signaturesolar.com/hyundai-395w-bifacial-solar-panel-silver-up-to-470w-with-bifacial-gain-his-s395gi/ https://signaturesolar.com/hyundai-395w-bifacial-solar-panel... (3) https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-...

Yes because land is free, according to solar power proponents

by krupan 3y ago

Yes because land is free, according to solar power proponents

Cheap in equatorial areas suitable for massive solar farms with expected daytime tempretures of 40-50 C, yes. Free, not exactly, but certainly affordable. https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2022/04/08/andrew-forrest-buys-up-three-cattle-stations-for-5gw-renewable-energy-hub/ https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2022/04/08/andrew-forr... For scale reference those solar farms | cattle stations are to provide power to mining operations that ship almost a billion tonnes of iron ore per annum (and remove a factor of overburden) consuming major amounts of fossil fuel in the process. Work is also underway to upgrade trains that roll that billion tonnes to the coast down a 600m height differential to recoup energy. See: Infinity train. You appear to be carrying some beef about "solar power proponents" being unrealistic hippy socialists rather than multi billion dollar industrialists.

dgacmu 3y ago

The amount of material in solar panels is tiny compared to our other landfill-destined refuse streams, and it needs to be compared to the analogous waste streams from other forms of energy generation. Nuclear creates long term storage needs. Coal creates tailings. Fracking pollutes groundwater. The US installed about 32 GW of solar in 2023. (1) A modern 395W bifacial solar module (2) weighs 25.7kg; about 65g per watt. That's about two million metric tons of solar panels to handle every year. In contrast, the US produces about 73 million metric tons of plastic waste per year. We landfill a total of about 131 million metric tons per year (3) -- and that's ignoring that things like coal tailings aren't accounted for in landfilling amounts. We produce and burn about 534 million metric tons of coal per year. The numbers are large but the relative cost of solar panels 50 years hence is likely extremely tolerable compared to the alternatives. (1) https://www.seia.org/news/solar-installations-2023-expected-exceed-30-gw-first-time-history https://www.seia.org/news/solar-installations-2023-expected-... (2) https://signaturesolar.com/hyundai-395w-bifacial-solar-panel-silver-up-to-470w-with-bifacial-gain-his-s395gi/ https://signaturesolar.com/hyundai-395w-bifacial-solar-panel... (3) https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-...