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Re:A 100MW solar farm in Texas will mount panels directly on... by jacquesm on Saturday December 10, 2022 @09:20AM (#33932813)
I have 26 panels set up like that of two different types and the figures pretty much match that formula.

I've used two heliostats in the past (see other comment in this thread) and on a $/Watt basis you're better off putting them flat, regardless of the perceived advantages, after all is said and done you will have more power, be out less money and have a more reliable system.

Now if only the sun would shine...

Re:A 100MW solar farm in Texas will mount panels directly on... by usrusr on Saturday December 10, 2022 @01:19PM (#33935108)
That possible heliostat future I keep bringing up wouldn't be about $/Watt (that was an argument for helostat back when modules were much more expensive, but certainly isn't the case anyone), but about finding a sweet spot in agrivoltaics between energy and nutrient harvest: Watts per impact on farming. Or more specifically, electricity dollars per impact on farming. Because when there is a large installed base of photovoltaics, watts at noon won't be worth much compared to watts at deeper sun hours. And for the same amount of off-noon watts, a heliostat setup would cause less shading to the plants below than any other setup. And as a bonus benefit, the east/west spacing inherent to heliostat installations would give a nice distribution of shading, at least nicer than with fixed east/west lines. I believe that the advantages are quite clear, but of course only if the mechanical parts can be cheap enough (in terms of resource use). Flat north/south lines that only pivot east/west would surely be a sweet spot, up to a certain latitude.
Re:A 100MW solar farm in Texas will mount panels directly on... by jacquesm on Saturday December 10, 2022 @06:49PM (#33938325)
The amount of land required to supply ample energy to some random region (bar Switzerland) is usually a small fraction of what is dedicated to agriculture / barren land.