How many solar panels would be needed to replace a nuclear power station?
Fair question and a more difficult one than at first sight.
A nuclear power plant provides 24/7/365 power. This simple fact means that at night you can still run your TV and fridge.
Solar panels, in very sharp contrast, only provide power whenever the sun shines.
The amount of sunshine depends strongly on the location. I am in Northern Europe where the sun doesn't shine that much.
I guess the easiest answer is how much solar capacity you would need to generate the same amount of energy in one year compared to a nuclear power plant.
The thing to learn is, on average throughout the year, what percentage of the time does solar power generate it's “nameplate” capacity? This number, in Northern Europe, is depressingly low.
11%. That's it.
Compare this to a nuclear power station, which generates power around 95% of the time.
Therefore, for any comparison, you need
95/11 = 8.6 times as much solar capacity.
Therefore, to replace a 1000 MW nuclear power plant in Northwestern Europe, you would need 8600 MW of solar panels. This amounts to roughly
35 million solar panels
Which only generate electricity when the sun shines. Therefore, 89% of the time, you need a backup. This will be gas powered.
What is also a troublesome fact is, the solar panels only last 20 years. Therefore,
Until the end of civilization, you have to replace 5000 panels every single day.
There is zero chance that we can power any sort of economy with solar.
