Fighting 'Solar Farm' Installation

[turbo36]

It's also 11 years old already.

I believe that the rule of thumb is the solar panels are doubling in efficiency every 2 to 3 years so maybe that facility if using current panels would power 2000 homes?

 

[TN8Man]

I believe that the rule of thumb is the solar panels are doubling in efficiency every 2 to 3 years so maybe that facility if using current panels would power 2000 homes?

Can you provide proof of this claim?

 

[TN8Man]

So you do realize that this is also a rest area for the freeway? If you look at the site from Google Earth, you see that was not " prime in-production farm land", it was a combination of field and woods. It appears the solar panels only take up about 20% of the 25 acres so approximately 5 acres or so of just solar panels, the rest of the site is a rest stop and educational facility. Perhaps you are the naïve one for believing the propaganda that is pushed out against solar energy. Perhaps you should do a little more research before posting such an ignorant set of "facts ".
[/QUOTE]

I'm going by the West Tennessee Solar Farm website. Any amount of land no matter what its used for is a waste when its being used with our tax dollars for a political agenda scam.

 

[TN8Man]

Millington Tennessee solar farm:
The solar facility will cover about 1,200-1,400 acres and generate 150 megawatts, equivalent to 399,600 solar panels. Facebook will use 110 megawatts of the plant's power.
“This is about really moving to green energy,” said Jim Balocki, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Navy.
The Millington solar farm is quite a sight to see. Hundreds of acres of solar panels that took $100-million and three years to build.
??? I'm trying to figure this out. That's $250 per solar panel assuming the land was free.
"On average, solar panels cost $17,430 to $23,870 for a typical 6-kilowatt (kW) system after federal tax credits."
In 2021, total U.S. conventional hydroelectricity generation was about 260 billion kilowatthours (kWh), equal to about 6.5% of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation.
Something doesn't add up!

The Millington Tennessee solar farm paid for by American tax payers ... again pushing a political agenda at tax payers expense.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

The Millington Tennessee solar farm paid for by American tax payers ... again pushing a political agenda at tax payers expense.

Bingo

 

[TN8Man]

The sad thing is we keep falling for these same scams. American's have a short memory when it comes to being scammed.

Abandoned Dreams of Wind and Light​

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

The sad thing is we keep falling for these same scams. American's have a short memory when it comes to being scammed.

Abandoned Dreams of Wind and Light​

hmmm... I have a strong interest in solar and wind. Wonder about its future as I have a lot of retirement tied to gas and oil.

Was interested to read in article of the 6 biggest "ooppss" 5 were in California?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The West Tennessee Solar Farm in Haywood County on Interstate 40 is one of the largest solar panel farms in Tennessee, capable of producing more than 5 million watts of electricity annually.

Here is the website: West Tennessee Solar Farm

From the website: The West Tennessee Solar Farm generates enough energy to power 500 homes each year.
Also: The 5-megawatt West Tennessee Solar Farm is one of the largest solar-generating facilities in the Southeast.

So the largest solar farm in Tennessee can only power 500 homes a year? This is a waist of valuable land for a renewable energy system being sold to naïve people to take their money ... a big scam!

Ive seen that one several times. It's pretty small compared to others i've seen. Hard to believe it's the largest in TN.

 

[Grumpycat]

So you are in favor of a law that would deprive an individual from using his property as he wishes?
Isn’t that an example of the “deep state” taking over?

Is an example of totalitarian rule.

 

[Grumpycat]

"On average, solar panels cost $17,430 to $23,870 for a typical 6-kilowatt (kW) system after federal tax credits."

That is after a 50% installer markup.

The parts for a quality 10 kW grid tie system is about $17,000 before any tax credits. check UnboundSolar.com and other places.

 

[Grumpycat]

I believe that the rule of thumb is the solar panels are doubling in efficiency every 2 to 3 years so maybe that facility if using current panels would power 2000 homes?

No way.

Doubling every 2-3 years and only up to 19%?

https://documents.unboundsolar.com/media/imMuoXxG-Black20Frame20MSE20PERC2072-cell2C2040mm20Specifications.pdf

 

[turbo36]

No way.

Doubling every 2-3 years and only up to 19%?

https://documents.unboundsolar.com/media/imMuoXxG-Black20Frame20MSE20PERC2072-cell2C2040mm20Specifications.pdf

Yes, that's incorrect. I let my fingers get ahead of my thinking.

The first solar panels created in the late 50's had an efficiency of around 5%, current commercially available units are at best 23-25% , Lab prototypes are approaching 50%. From 5% to 50% is a 10x increase but certainly not doubling every 2-3 years. The maximum theoretic efficiency is around 83%.

 

[MossRoad]

I believe that the rule of thumb is the solar panels are doubling in efficiency every 2 to 3 years so maybe that facility if using current panels would power 2000 homes?

I don't think it's that fast. What I do think is that they are finding more efficient materials and manufacturing techniques fairly often...

(click to enlarge)

 

[MossRoad]

And when you think about it, if it's only 20% efficient, who cares?

Your only concern should be return on investment. Ask yourself this:

Would investing the cost of a solar system instead of building a solar system return enough money to pay for the electricity it generates and all associated costs over the life of the investment, or not?

 

[Grumpycat]

And when you think about it, if it's only 20% efficient, who cares?

Your only concern should be return on investment. Ask yourself this:

Would investing the cost of a solar system instead of building a solar system return enough money to pay for the electricity it generates and all associated costs over the life of the investment, or not?

Yes, I have said that here many times. The only honest metric of resource consumption is the Almighty Dollar. No man works for free. No man voluntarily surrenders resources for less than true value. Costs accumulate with stage of production until reaching the final destination.

Egghead intellectuals sit around and theorize the benefits of things such as ethanol guessing the amount of energy used here, and there, until they get the answer they want, ignoring components which spoil their predetermined conclusion (What? Pay for fertilizer? Diesel?) Is not honest accounting, there is nothing holding their feet to the fire comparable to that of a man demanding to be paid for his contribution. So I have long said all that matters is the cost of fuel grade ethanol vs gasoline. If more energy is used to make one or the other it might well be one used less valuable energy to make a more valuable energy.

As for solar panel efficiency the cost of racking is not insignificant. Last time I did the hard math a 30 panel 10kW system was less expensive than a 40 panel 10kW system. The panels I cited earlier are about $1/W (US made) while others are $0.67 (China). The racking and wiring can make up much (or all) of that difference.

 

[TN8Man]

Yes, that's incorrect. I let my fingers get ahead of my thinking.

The first solar panels created in the late 50's had an efficiency of around 5%, current commercially available units are at best 23-25% , Lab prototypes are approaching 50%. From 5% to 50% is a 10x increase but certainly not doubling every 2-3 years. The maximum theoretic efficiency is around 83%.

According to the article below: 26-27% efficiency for new development that hasn't even reached market yet.

New solar cell breaks records for efficiency and voltage​

 

[Grumpycat]

According to the article below: 26-27% efficiency for new development that hasn't even reached market yet.

New solar cell breaks records for efficiency and voltage​

Meh.

Solar Panels 101: A Guide to Solar Energy and Systems wisely says:
“Don’t sweat too much about panel efficiency. The only real benefit to more efficient panels is that they fit more solar in less space.”

 

[TN8Man]

Meh.

Solar Panels 101: A Guide to Solar Energy and Systems wisely says:
“Don’t sweat too much about panel efficiency. The only real benefit to more efficient panels is that they fit more solar in less space.”

Look at how many people replace their perfectly good and powerful iPhone every time a new version comes out.

The commercial solar and battery storage technology is still in its infancy. It's not practicable to invest in a expensive home system right now because the technology is not ready and it will continue to escalate at a significant rate for decades and people will keep upgrading just like cell phones.

Most likely solar won't even be the mainstream solution for our future. The inconvenient truth is that the "solar rush" is a man-made scandal to make the rich richer and poor poorer on the backs of tax payers. The current rise in energy costs that is helping to drive this renewable energy scam on everyone is a man-made crisis. This is exactly what happened back in the 70's when we had the man-made gas shortages that sparked renewable energy in the first place. At some point after the rich make all that money they can we will go back full steam to oil, coal and nuclear based energy.

At some point in the future we will transition to a new technology but it won't be solar or wind. It will probably be Fusion.

 

[Hay Dude]

Just saw electricity prices are up 10.2% average nationwide.
Solar and wind not bringing prices down.
Will people who can barely afford electricity now have to make sacrifices on heat or AC ?
Seems “backward”

 

[orezok]

Just saw electricity prices are up 10.2% average nationwide.
Solar and wind not bringing prices down.
Will people who can barely afford electricity now have to make sacrifices on heat or AC ?
Seems “backward”

I would be interested in knowing if your hay prices have increased too.