How much energy is lost as heat, and how does this compare to other forms of power generation?
In: Engineering
Solar panel efficiency is generally around 15-20%, while for comparison Nuclear power and Coal power is around 30%, and hydro power is around 90%.
Individual solar cells can be much higher in efficiency, but cost factors and loses in the panel bring that down.
But efficiency is only part of the equation.
Solar panels require a great deal of space to generate a significant amount of power, while traditional power stations are much much smaller in terms of land area.
Solar Panels have a minimal environmental impact though.
Nuclear power meanwhile is the most energy dense, you get the most power out of a small amount of fuel. By orders of magnitude compared to other power generation types.
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