[Date Prev][Date Next]
[Chronological]
[Thread]
[Archive Top]
RE: [cdn-nucl-l] Alternative energy report
Title: FW: [cdn-nucl-l] Alternative energy report
Being generous,
assume a 35% capacity factor for wind power.
On top of OPG's
headquarters are 4.8 kW of solar panels. Throughout November 2001 these
panels generated about 5 kWhe/day average: That's a capacity factor of
about 4%. In the summer we get about double the sunlight hours, and a
higher peak rate. So assume the capacity factor is doubled for more
sunlight, and doubled for a higher peak. That's 16% cap factor, and assume
it's good for year round to be even more conservative. Make it 25% to
account for the sunny skies (?) of southern California, and advanced solar
tracking, etc. It certainly can't be greater than 50% (due to nights!),
and there are only a couple of hours a day, even in summer, when the cells are
working at peak.
Using these
numbers, you'd expect the 40 megawatts of solar + wind to have an annual
capacity factor of 32.5% (this is high). That means that the
installed cost is $100 million / .325 / 40 000 kW = $7700 / kWe
installed. If one buys a nuclear power plant for about $4000/kWe
(that's a high number, used by anti-nuclear orgs), and divide by an 80% capacity
factor (minimum expected), that gives you an installed cost of $5 000/kWe.
Thus, even assuming conservatively high renewables capacity factors, and
conservatively high nuclear power plant costs, the renewable plant is 50% more
expensive per installed kWe. And one needs some sort of energy storage
system as well.
Morgan
Brown
Re: "SOLAR POWER WINS BIG IN SAN FRANCISCO"
"...a $100 million revenue bond to install 10 megawatts of
solar and 30 megawatts of wind power"!!!
Wonder how many megawatts that will yield on an average basis.
Benjamin Rouben, FCNS
Manager, Reactor
Core Physics Branch
Tel: 905-823-9060 ext. 4550
Fax: 905-822-0567
E-mail:
roubenb@aecl.ca