[Will88]

SB Energy operates the fifth-largest solar project in the country, capable of generating 900 megawatts of power across 4,000 acres (1,618 hectares).

4,000 acres = 6.25 Square miles. Takes up a little more space than a coal fired, or natural gas, or nuclear plant.

[AZJeep]

900 megawatts of power
___________________

This is their maximum possible power rating, during clear day, when there is so much energy available, that they are paying you (on the instant wholesale level) to take it away from them. (one secret - the solar cells are very hard to shut down).
Generally, they do not work when people actually need the energy!
From many studies, they barely provide 20% (100-200 Megawatt) of average useful power.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"Takes up a little more space than a coal fired, or natural gas, or nuclear plant."

Yet, you will STILL need that conventional plant to keep the lights on at night and the factories running at night. So the 4,000 acres becomes 8,000 acres AND you have DOUBLE the capital investment -- the solar plant plus the conventional plant.

Nobody has ever cracked the nut of having to overbuild by 2X.

Of course, you could always build a battery plant to store the power generated during the day. But then your solar plant will have to be twice as large so you can use X power during the day and send X power to the batteries for use that night.

On the plus side, lithium battery plants can provide LOTS of extra heat. Look at all the excitement generated in 2024 alone. The Climate and Environment Gods must real pleased...

Moss Landing, CA.

Otay Mesa, CA.

Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.

Panamanian-registered car carrier ship "Fremantle Highway" near the Dutch island of Ameland.

[foundedonpurpose]

And the coal and nuclear plants last more than 20 years. Let’s include that into energy cost projections. Oh wait, the leftists hate basic math.

[NorthMountain]

capable of generating 900 megawatts of power

At what capacity factor? How does that capacity factor compare to coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, and wind?

[Hot Tabasco]

Here's what a 4,000 acre solar panel farm in Texas looks like after a Mar., 2004 hail storm.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdjrgcp_7JQ

[dangus]

And yet 900 megawatts from 6 square miles is pretty awesome, considering the US has 3 million square miles of land and 800 million acres of grazing land.

[southernindymom]

EXCEPT...that solar farm that takes up that much space only makes ON A CLOUDLESS, SUNNY DAY those 900 Mwh during the peak sunshine time. Starts at 0 at sunrise and goes to 0 at sunset. Those coal fired, natural gas and nuclear make 900 Mwh 24/7/365.

We have solar panels for our personal use. We had the ice/snow storm 2 weeks ago..... they made 0 power for 5 days while they were covered.

Wind and solar are NOT the answer.

[desertfreedom765]

I wonder how many of these solar panels were made in the USA vs China? Very few I bet.

Again we are exporting our energy production.