Solar Power In Spain
By Paul Homewood
Eric Worrall has done a good job of covering this story at WUWT, which you can read here.
Europe discovered a new reality this winter: energy rationing.
No matter which European country you are in, the inhabitants explain to you how they must save energy because of the energy crisis hitting the Continent.
…
Elon Musk seems to agree and even says that installing solar panels in a small area of Spain would be enough to solve the energy problems of the EU.
“The total area of solar panels it would take to power the world, Europe, and Germany. This map is from Nadine May’s thesis,” the Twitter user tweeted on Dec. 27.
“Such an obvious move!” Musk commented.
And then the CEO of Tesla added that: “Even solar plus batteries on a small section of Spain would solve EU energy needs.”
Just to add my twopenn’orth, here is the actual solar power generated in Spain yesterday:
Electricity Generation in Spain – Jan 2nd 2022
It averaged 1180MW, but was only really producing at a reasonably quantity between 11.00am and 4.00pm. Solar capacity in Spain is 18523MW, meaning that it was only running at 6% of capacity yesterday.
The idea that the whole of Europe could live off solar power from Spain is ridiculous.
All data is from ENTSOE:
https://transparency.entsoe.eu/dashboard/show?loggedUserIsPrivileged=false
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
I assume the output was measured on a sunny day ?? What percentage of 365 can match this output ??
If Musk has the same idea about ‘Europe’ as so many of his compatriots – “see Europe in 5 days in a luxury air-conditioned coach” – then that might explain a lot?
why was the remaining 18,000 MW capacity not used ??
Is your question satirical?
NO. The input energy cost after set-up is zero. Wind power is also zero. What other source of energy has such costs ? What is the life span of solar or wind equipment ?
If the stated capacity was not used because it was cloudy, it is obviously a false statement. By that logic, it would have the same capacity at midnight.
Sun rise in Madrid today is 8.30 sunset 18.00.
It possibly was, are you assuming that 1180MW of solar panels were operating at 100%? It’s far more likely that 18523MW were operting at 10% or less.
It’s cloudy or partly cloudy in Madrid, Valencia and Barcalona this week.
Apparently the author confuses output with capacity.
Olde Reb, without wishing to seem impolite, you really do not have much of an idea about these matters do you? Capacity factor is the amount of actual supply expressed as percentage of the amount a unit could supply if running at maximum power continuously. So the actual day’s output is a percentage of the maximum potential i.e. the 18,523MW nameplate capacity x 24 hours = 444,552MWh or 444.5GWh.
But you simply do not understand these sort of things do you?
Your comment
“NO. The input energy cost after set-up is zero. Wind power is also zero. What other source of energy has such costs ?”
Is complete tripe. Are you really “Olde” or more likely a teenage troll to make such staggeringly naive remarks?
Words have meanings. CAPACITY is the maximum for a system to produce. OUTPUT is what is produced under certain conditions. Only a government troll would confuse the two.
I have had my suspicions confirmed.
I am 71 years old and I can run, for a very short distance, at over 15 miles per hour.
Some might interpret that as my having the “capacity” to smash the world record marathon time, but I assure you that I have no such ability, I simply cannot run that fast for that long, not even close.
When you read about the “capacity” of solar and wind farms, remember that I really do not have the “capacity” of smashing the world record marathon time. Nor can the solar or wind farms really produce that much electricity. It is simply not even close to being true. Not even in the same ballpark as being close to true.
Gazing into my crystal ball, I see that some bright spark will be dusting off the old follow-up chestnut.
“Well, what about our dear friends and trustworthy partners, Morocco and Algeria, then? I’m sure they’ll dust off the panels at least twice a week!
I wonder what transmission losses are between the Sahara and (say) Estonia?
And there are always Superconductors, they’ll help!
Meanwhile, I’ve never seen a convincing article showing that Spanish whirligigs and moonbeam catchers are cost effective, even in Spain!
The Spanish moonbeam catchers worked very lucratively when they had a big diesel generator hooked up to them.
Careful what you wish for Martin, just when you thought it was safe outside along came an Octopus!
https://octopus.energy/press/octopus-energy-backs-mega-solar-farm-in-morocco-to-power-7-million-heat-pumps-with-cheap-green-power/
Spotted them flying pigs latlely?
At the risk of sounding like another rant! Apart from the crass stupidity of thinking you can solve an energy issue with solar generated electricity in high latitudes, the whole debate needs to move away from this vested interest “electricitycentric” viewpoint. Wind and solar will not realistically solve anything other than make fortunes for plutocrats like Musk et alia.
By a country mile the biggest high latitude domestic energy requirement is heat. Ultra Super Critical coal fired plants are closing in on 50% efficiency in electricity generation but also produce extremely worthwhile “waste” heat. Utilise that heat correctly as well and the emissions per total useable kWh (if that metric is deemed important) became negligible.
It is straightforward to use heat to drive an absorption ground source heat pump – minimal electricity required. The warmer the sub ground the higher the Co-efficient of Performance (CoP) of the heat pump. Thus “pump” waste heat into the ground in summer when not required for heating and in the winter utilise a large absorption heat pump to run a Community Heating system. Over the course of the year the overall efficiency of the heat pump is likely to be of the order of 2 to 1. In reality you could well exceed 120% “efficiency” from coal to kWh of combined heat and electricity with ultra low emissions. Try doing that with a solar PV panel or a wind turbine!
A simple explanation of an AGSHP https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_heat_pump
Now if Mr Musk is serious I can suggest quite a few engineering groups who would be only too happy to take his money.
“Now if Mr Musk is serious…”
There is only one thing a con-man is serious about – getting your money off you.
It is true, of course, that most of Central Spain is of no use to man or beast.
Flying into Madrid you wonder what sustains that city. There simply is no fertile hinterland such as most Capital cities possess.
Ray,
I’m sure this could be made to work.
But I think I’d consider the accounts of those who lived in the Soviet era far North, concerning the merits and demerits of “Community Heating Systems”, before throwing my own hat into that ring.
Although, of course, our very own “Beloved Leaders” could be relied upon to manage things so much better.
Couldn’t they?
If you are selling batteries, everything looks like a nail.
Why oh why do our politicians, and some business men like Musk, keep believing and espousing these energy supply fairy tales? Are they completely stupid, gullible, blinded by what eco-zeolots tell them or what? And why don’t they seek advice from a range of people in the energy supply industry? I can only conclude that they can’t all be that stupid and that what they are doing is deliberate – to impoverish everyone except the monied “elite”.
Musk is a very smart operator. He knows that any intermittent generation of electricty will required storage, like Joseph’s 7 fat years followed by 7 lean years, he also knows that nobody he is dealing with can do simple arithmetic with big numbers.
Therefore he knows he can sell a totally inadequate solution and make a more than decent profit. For Musk there’s definitely one born every minute
Well in Musk’s case it’s obvious. He’s a dodgy car salesman who has a factory making solar panels and batteries. I’m sure he’ll sell you some moonlight and mermaids as well.
You don’t get to be the World’s richest man without the ability to spot a well-heeled sucker at 100 paces on a dark night in fog!
And he’s certainly taught NASA and everybody else a good bit about rocketry with his SpaceX reusable launch technology.
Night follows day in Spain, like everywhere else 🙄
Didn’t heavily subsidised solar pv in Spain generate electricity reliably during the night thanks to diesel generators & floodlights. Subsidy farming works 🤣
Why, we all wonder, would a battery-flogger finish with “And then the CEO of Tesla added that: “Even solar plus batteries on a small section of Spain would solve EU energy needs.” “?
How it started:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/dec/01/south-australia-turns-on-teslas-100mw-battery-history-in-the-making
2022 Update:
https://www.aer.gov.au/news-release/hornsdale-power-reserve-penalised-900000-for-inability-to-provide-contingency-services-as-offered
One must never forget that South Australia has one of the highest cost of electricity
He didn’t get to be a billionaire by being stupid did he?
Absolutely correct AP.
He got to be a billionaire by knowing millions of others are (stupid).
His family had an emerald mine.
Elon is definitely not one for letting a prime commercial opportunity to go to waste.