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Jesse Peltan
@JessePeltan
A 38 kg solar panel generates as much electricity as 9,000 kg of diesel fuel. If you're trying to provide electricity in remote locations, solar and storage dramatically cuts down on the amount of mass you need to ship. That's especially important for things like satellites, which is why satellites run on solar power.
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Jesse Peltan
@JessePeltan
A regular solar panel on Earth has a higher power density (W/kg) than the RTG used on the Curiosity Mars rover. (radioisotope thermal generator) Curiosity's RTG produced 110 watts of electrical power at the start of the mission and weighs 45kg. (4.8 kg of which is the Pu-238
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David Watson 🥑
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Jesse Peltan
@JessePeltan
We could burn 18,000 kg of coal directly to generate as much electricity as a 38kg solar panel. Or, we could use it to produce ~13,000 kg of met grade silicon and use that to make more than 6,000 of those panels.
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Jesse Peltan
@JessePeltan
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Jesse Peltan
@JessePeltan
If one shipment of diesel gave you power for 40 days, one shipment of solar panels would give you power for 30 years. x.com/JessePeltan/st…
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Robert G'Day
@RobertD11359976
Sounds like a 700 W panel (not your average or even utility size panel). In 25 years at 20% capacity factor*, 30.7 MWh. 9000 kg diesel in a 35% efficient generator 39.9 MWh. What CF / efficiency were you using? *Global ave utility ~16%
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Paul Lumberjack
@EnviWood
Shipping less mass is a huge benefit for remote projects—solar plus storage really changes the logistics and reliability equation out in the field.
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State of Britain
@stateof_britain
You omitted the panel’s share of the 100’s of millions of tonnes of mass in the global mining, refining, and industrial manufacturing system that the solar panel is the product of, Jesse. Do you have an estimate?
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