Hey, sometimes we do big things too.
80MW of pure power, this minute it is the world's biggest, but that record won't stay very long.Oh, and it is spelled solAr, not solEr....so keep your spelling-nazi shirt on, C-less...
the satellite view on Google/maps but I could not find it.
Just checked Earth, not there yet. The location is at Plank Rd & Churchill Line, sometimes called Lucasville,ON Now you will see a racing oval (I think for exercising horses) north of Churchill and the Voltaic farm is between it and hwy 40 and all that land north of there is covered in panels now. This is only part of it.
Thanks for the info. I have been comparing this site with some solar thermal sites near Kramer Junction in California.
The photovoltaic site seems to be comparable in land area (per megawatt) with the solar thermal facilities.
"Construction of North America's largest solar farm remains on hold following the sale of OptiSolar Farms Canada, a move that has required a project redesign. The new owner, First Solar, hopes to increase the output of the farm to 80 megawatts from 60 megawatts, said spokesman Peter Carrie."
Just a few miles west of there I have witnessed hailstones that broke a woman's car mirror.
So, what'll it do in the GWN in the winter, under 80' of snow, hmm? What's your base power?
Rightio!
hoping it will eat him last. -- Sir Winston Churchill
You're off by an order of magnitude. 445 hectare is 4,450,000 sq mt.
Furthermore, according to the owners "Enbridge" (a) the 80mw capacity _is_ online. 60mw addition to the original 20mw OptiSolar plant _Completed_ 'September, 2010'
(b) The 1.3 million modules have a total surface area of 973,000 sq m. source:
80Mw(peak)/973,000sq. is about 82 watts/sq m. which implies a theoretical efficiency somewhere in the 30-40% range.Realistically it's expected to generate about 120 million kWh/year, which works out to a sustained 1.36mw over a 24-hour day. This reverse-engineers to around 5 watts/sq.m over the total daylight hours. factor in something reasonable for 'unfavorable' weather, and it still looks like 10-15% 'average' effective conversion. Not too shabby..
Oops! You're right! Thanks for the correction. That makes the output 18w/sq mt
Stratford would be a different story Or Chesley
With all those PV panels Sarnia may become the mushroom belt.
That means what? There's only 50' of snow in the banana belt in the winter? Looked it up: about 48" of snow there. Banana belt my arse!
-- If you're looking for the key to the Universe, I've got some good news and some bad news.
The bad news: There is no key to the Universe.
The good news: It was never locked. --Swami Beyondananda
Snow doesn't mean extreme cold. Did you look at the average temp? Besides, 48" over 4 months is nothing considering there are thaws in between. You want to talk snow? Talk to jo4hn.
It keeps the frost out of the ground. The excavators, here, claim there is never frost in the ground at 45 degrees N elev.
Sarnia enjoys one of the warmest climates in Canada. Adjacent to Lake Huron, a large freshwater body, the climate is moderated year-round. Summer temperatures are a few degrees cooler than inland areas of southwestern Ontario and winter temperatures are warmer. Winters in Sarnia, unlike the rest of Canada, are short and mild with minimal snowfall. Spring comes early and summers warm temperatures remain long into the autumn.
Normal Daily Temperature and Precipitation, Sarnia, Ontario see:
Stratford gets 175 to 275 inches of snowfall per year. Sarnia gets, mabee, 32 inches - and it doesn't stay around very long. It IS the "banana belt"
Speaking from the banana belt of the Yukon, if you're interested in comparing the weather of Canadian cities, go to the Weather Winners web site:
Note that Whitehorse is among the cities with the most comfortable weather and the driest, while Sarnia is the second most humid city in Canada after its neighbour Windsor.
Luigi
I'd be willing to bet that I could count the number of banana trees growing in the open in Sarnia on less than one hand.
Me? I think 1" of snow is too much, once a year. Any questions?
-- Most people assume the fights are going to be the left versus the right, but it always is the reasonable versus the jerks. -- Jimmy Wales
------------------------------ Before coming to SoCal, I considered 50F and below as not fit for human habitation.
After being here for awhile, I've revised that to 60F and below.
These days if I want to see snow, strand in doorway, cup of coffee in hand, look north and see snow on the mountain tops less than 50 miles away.
That's close enough for me.
Lew
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