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Parking lots are an insanely obvious application for solar. Putting them in fields rather than commercial property roofs and parking lots is just laziness.
ESPECIALLY in places where snow is rare-to-nonexistent.
ESPECIALLY in places where snow is rare-to-nonexistent.
The efficiency difference is insane as well.
1 acre of corn = 500 gallons per year give or take
1 acre of solar = 300,000 kwh/acre/year.
Even just the chemical energy of ethanol is 22kwh/gallon so that's 11,000 kwh - i.e. 1/30th the energy.
But when you consider the poor efficiency of internal combustion, it's even worse. An average car might get 30mpg, but an average electric has 300 miles of range on a 100kwh battery - so 3 miles per kwh.
Welp, now 1 acre of corn = 15,000 miles
1 acre of panels = 900,000 miles...
However, I still think solar should prefer dual-use property (commercial, parking lots, etc), and then after that, marginal land, and only after that, farmland.
1 acre of corn = 500 gallons per year give or take
1 acre of solar = 300,000 kwh/acre/year.
Even just the chemical energy of ethanol is 22kwh/gallon so that's 11,000 kwh - i.e. 1/30th the energy.
But when you consider the poor efficiency of internal combustion, it's even worse. An average car might get 30mpg, but an average electric has 300 miles of range on a 100kwh battery - so 3 miles per kwh.
Welp, now 1 acre of corn = 15,000 miles
1 acre of panels = 900,000 miles...
However, I still think solar should prefer dual-use property (commercial, parking lots, etc), and then after that, marginal land, and only after that, farmland.
A thing about farmland is you don't need it until you do, and if you do need it and don't have it, you starve. So programs like the ethanol fuel regulation create artificial demand for farmland Just In Case of catastrophe later on...
Cattle farming is pretty good for the land...
"Agrivoltaics"
I think you want to limit the panels quite a bit because otherwise you kill the grass...
I think you want to limit the panels quite a bit because otherwise you kill the grass...
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