myself
Gold Member
- Aug 11, 2021
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- #401
I dont know how this easy fact eludes you but solar panels dont work "day and night". You just blew off the fact that they dont even work "all day".. That their output is down by 50% about 2 hours BEFORE sunset and 2 hours AFTER sunrise.. You also blew off the fact that you would need say a fully redundant PRIMARY RELIABLE generator to be paid for, maintained and sit idle whenever the solar power was ABLE to peak the grid.. They ARE A SUPPLEMENT.. NOT a primary generator.
Also that map representation is childish.. That estimate probably based on the MAX POWER output of the panels multiplied by "day and night" output (as you put it) when in REALITY the ENERGY they provide actually is only about 33% of their specified POWER at best.. (Go educate about the diff between POWER ratings and ENERGY ratings. So in REALITY, you'd be covering the totally of N. Mexico, Arizona and Southern Cali with them to even THEORETICALLY obtain the power.
COMPLICATED by the fact that you CANNOT TRANSPORT that much power to rest of 48 without significant losses if at all.
Also need to point out that solar panels ON ROADS is a true "no-go" from engineering standpoint. ANY solar installation needs to POINT SOUTH.. It COULD be on gimbals and track the sun or STATIONARY and face the best possible sun angle.. But pointing STRAIGHT UP AT THE SKY will cut efficiency dramatically... And from an installation standpoint when govt can't keep potholes from breaking axles on vehicles, solar panels are NOT up the wear and tear. Not only that but ice or water on TOP OF THEM would kill people and crush vehicles together..
Dont know if I can get an actual convo going on this with you because you have a victim of media/corporate happy talk about solar and wind. But there's no engineering solutions to MAKING wind and solar go from SUPPLEMENTS to ALTERNATIVES without CATASTROPHIC ecological and economic side effects.. (for the record I'm a scientist with degrees in both science and engineering).
How can you be a mod and be so full of shit. People who actually create solar panels don't make up what their power output is. In all likelihood they take them out into direct sunlight, face them squarely towards the sun and measure what their output is with a voltmeter. Next, you would need double the amount of solar panels it would take to power your house during the day. That is with either your house running an air conditioner or heating the house. The rest you would store for night time use. If your house's roof and possibly your garage's roof isn't enough for that, then the extra would have to come from solar farms elsewhere.