In Defense of Solar Power



There are some applications in which solar PV is the best energy source and, not surprisingly, in those applications it commands almost 100% of the market.

One such application is powering satellites in geostationary orbit. At that altitude, on most days the capacity factor of the solar panels is close to 100%. That's right, this is not a mistake: close to 100%.

Only near the equinoxes does that capacity factor drop but it still is sustained way above 90% on a daily basis.

On the other hand, here on the surface of the Earth we have nights, clouds, and seasons and thus solar energy is intermittent and unreliable.

One size does not fit all. For geostationary satellites NOTHING beats solar PV. Here on Earth, we have better options.

Feel free to add to the conversation in Twitter: @luisbaram

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