[ad_1]
The largest solar park in the world is the Bhadla Industrial Solar Park in India. Its capacity exceeds that of the Paks nuclear power plant. It occupies forty square kilometers of space, which can be imagined as if we completely cover the inner districts of Budapest with solar panels. How much area would we need if we wanted to extract all of our electricity needs from solar energy?
Hungary is located in the northern temperate zone, between 45.8 ° and 48.6 ° north latitude, which means that the intensity of the southern sun is only half that of the Equator. Whether we think this endowment is good or bad is just a matter of point of view. Austria, Germany or the Czech Republic, Slovakia are exposed to even weaker solar radiation, but in these countries the solar cell is experiencing a renaissance.
In theory, it is enough
In one year, each square meter in Hungary receives 1,250 kWh of energy from the sun, which is such a large amount that if we could exploit it, all existing domestic energy needs could be covered. For example, the country’s total annual electricity consumption exceeds 2,600 times. Unfortunately this is only a theoretical potential, in fact we can use much less solar energy.
If we don’t put it towards the sun (we place it horizontally) and buy only a cheaper solar cell with an efficiency of 10 percent, its average annual energy production is 125 kWh per square meter. Currently, the population uses 12 terawatt hours per year and the total consumption is 45 terawatt hours (the prefix tera means 12 zeros). Calculated from this, we get that 96 square kilometers of solar panels could meet the electricity needs of every Hungarian household, and 360 square kilometers of electricity could produce all the electricity in Hungary.
And if we turn all this into Lake Balaton, which has an area of 592 square kilometers, as a result, one sixth of Lake Balaton will come out and 60 percent of Lake Balaton. But only if we don’t take into account shading, orientation, dust, and other losses.
But where do we put so many solar panels?
When studying the possibilities of domestic solar energy, the possibilities of placing solar panels on the roofs of buildings, grasslands, pastures, non-agricultural areas, railway lines and open areas along highways were examined. Favorable building area: 4048 square kilometers. So there is room.
Once we’ve gotten into that, let’s not stop in the middle, let’s ask the most important question: how much area would we need to solve all of humanity’s total electricity consumption with solar energy?
I’m no longer misleading the reader: 20,000 square miles.
This is the same area as Slovenia. If you have noticed that this is only twenty times what you would need for the entire Hungarian demand, then that is fine. The efficiency of solar panels matters a lot, the smallest ones need a lot of space, the biggest ones fit with less.
(Cover image: Bhadla Industrial Solar Park, India. Photo: Money Sharma / AFP)
I also learned something 1-2-3 today: Now alone together For 9990 florins!
Buy it now!
-
It was not enough, I want to learn!
-
I’m posting a topic!
[ad_2]
