cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17595046

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 3 points 2 years ago (4 children)

So this ginormous solar field is roughly as powerful as a single nuclear plant?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 8 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    No.

    MW is the maximum capacity not the average.

    A nuclear reactor runs at close to its maximum output pretty much 24/7/365.

    A solar farm only operates during the day, and even then it only operates at maximum output in the middle of a clear sunny day.

    The overall average output of a nuclear plant is typically around 90% of its capacity.

    The overall average output of solar farm is 20-25%.

    This massive farm will still only output a bit more electricity than what a single nuclear reactor outputs.

    A nuclear power station typically has more than one reactor, so compared to a typical nuclear power station this isn’t even close to the average nuclear plant.

    Though it does beat a few of the smallest nuclear plants that only have a single reactor.

    Nuclear outputs a fuck-ton of electricity for its size.

  • source
  • parent