Question

It is planned to have replaced 20 MW output from a fossil fuel power station with a 20 MW output solar-voltaic power station. If the average solar insolation (power incident normally per square metre on the surface of the Earth) at a given location is 350 W m^-2, and the efficiency of the solar-voltaic cells is 20%, estimate the area of land surface required for generating the 20 MW of electrical power using solar-voltaic panels. 

Answer 1

Explanation & Calculation

• If the estimated area of land is $\small x\,m^2,$ the average isolation at that area is $\small 350x\,W$.
• Sine the efficiency is 20 percent, we can write as follows to get the answer.

$\qquad\qquad \begin{aligned} \small 350x\,\times\frac{20}{100}&=\small 20\times10^6W\\ \small x&=\small 534.5\,m^2 \end{aligned}$