What Is A Solar Farm?
Did you know the sun gives off enough energy in one hour to satisfy the worldwide energy needs for one year?
The sun is indeed an incredible energy source, and we are just scratching the surface of being able to harness its true power.
That's why the renewable energy industry is beginning to take off, and solar farms are sprouting up across America.
They are popping up in all shapes and sizes, from small for local communities to massive, utility-scale solar farms powering thousands of homes.
In the article below, we will discuss what a solar farm is and the power it can harness.
KEY TAKEAWAYS ABOUT SOLAR FARMs
- Solar Farms are large-scale solar installations where solar panels are used to harvest the sun's power.
- A solar farm costs between $0.80 and $1.30 per watt rather than the $2.76 per watt average cost of a residential installation.
- Utility-scale solar farms can have a capacity of anywhere between 1 MW to 2,000 MW.
- The energy produced by a solar farm depends on how big it is.
- With decades of combined experience serving clients of all types and sizes, STEVENS has the knowledge and skills needed to meet the demands of renewable energy projects like solar farms.
Table Of Contents
- What's A Solar Farm?
- How Does A Solar Farm Work?
- How Much Does A Solar Farm Cost?
- Utility Solar vs. Community Solar
- How Much Energy Can A Solar Farm Produce?
- Energy And Power Industrial Construction Services
What Is A Solar Farm?
A solar farm is a large-scale solar installation where photovoltaic (PV) panels (solar panels) are used to harvest the sun's power.
These solar arrays are different from rooftop solar systems and even commercial solar power systems.
Solar farms are also called solar parks and solar power stations.
They operate as power plants, similar to a natural gas power plant or other sources of energy generation that send electricity to the power grid.
Unlike residential and commercial systems, solar farms are decentralized and typically consist of ground-mounted solar panels installed across large areas.
Instead of providing power to a local end-user like a homeowner or business, solar farms give power to the electric grid and are part of the utility’s energy mix.
There are different types of large solar farm projects, like community solar farms and utility-scale solar farms.
A solar farm project could be built to power data centers or other large users of solar power or for other businesses that have a solar project built purely for their use, either onsite or offsite.
How Does A Solar Farm Work?
Using unoccupied land, typically farmland, solar farms use solar panels to convert sunlight into energy.
The generated solar energy is piped into the electric grid.
The local electricity company pays the owner for the generated energy.
The primary standards are similar to a solar panel operation installed on a homeowner’s rooftop, just on a much larger scale.
A solar farm uses an enormous plot of land for solar energy generation to sell power to the local utility at a profit.
How Much Does A Solar Farm Cost?
The per-watt cost of building a solar farm is lower than residential solar.
However, potential savings for individuals are not nearly as high.
You will generally save about 5-15% on your electricity bill when you subscribe to community solar gardens.
Compared to residential solar panel setups, a solar farm is much cheaper to build.
A solar farm costs between $0.80 and $1.30 per watt rather than the $2.76 per watt average cost of a residential installation.
Due to their sheer size, a solar farm cost can be between $800,000 to over 1.3 million dollars.
That is significantly higher than the $20,474 average cost of a residential installation.
But utility solar panel farms typically be at least one megawatt (MW), which is enough electricity for consumers - about 200 households.
Utility Solar vs. Community Solar
The thousands of solar panel installations in the U.S. can be grouped into two types of solar farms based on size.
- Utility-scale
- Community solar
The most significant difference between utility-scale and community solar farms is size and scale.
Utility-scale solar farms tend to power a larger electricity grid than community solar.
Utility-scale solar farms can have a capacity of anywhere between 1 MW to 2,000 MW.
Community solar farms are typically under 5 MW in size.
It's not uncommon to find ones that are under 100 kW.
Another key difference is who they send their power to.
Community solar farm projects serve members of a community who have paid for a share of its power output.
Utility solar farms serve a local utility company and all of its customers as part of the energy mix it carries on its power lines.
How Much Energy Can A Solar Farm Produce?
The energy produced by a solar farm depends on how big it is.
For example, one of the biggest solar energy projects on the planet is Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, situated on hundreds of acres in China.
The solar panel farm generates approximately 850 MW every day.
The Desert Sunlight Project, a 550 MW solar farm, was constructed in 2011 in Riverside County, California.
The biggest solar thermal energy farm on the planet is the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, situated in the Mojave Desert in California, producing a daily limit of 392 MW.
STEVENS Renewable Energy Construction Services
STEVENS builds power systems and facilities for the energy generation industry, including solar installation.
With decades of combined experience serving clients of all types and sizes, our crews have the knowledge and skills needed to meet the demands of renewable energy projects like solar farms.
Click below to find out how STEVENs can help with your next solar farm project.
References:
https://theberkey.com/blogs/water-filter/what-is-a-solar-farm-what-are-the-pros-and-cons
https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/storage/what-is-a-solar-farm/
https://chariotenergy.com/chariot-university/solar-farms/
https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/what-is-a-solar-farm-do-i-need-one
https://news.energysage.com/solar-farms-start-one/
