The Solana power plant near Gila Bend, AZ, covers 1900 acres, (http://www.aps.co

Question

The Solana power plant near Gila Bend, AZ, covers 1900 acres, (http://www.aps.com/en/ourcompany/aboutus/next/Pages/solar.aspx), has a peak electrical generating capacity of 280 MW, and cost $1.5 billion to build, and through using thermal storage, is expected to have a usage factor of 50%.

Question)   Arizona currently needs about 7,200 MW of electricity to meet customer needs. If we want to supply all electricity to Arizona through solar thermal plants like Solana, and considering the expected usage factor for Solana, how much land would need to be dedicated to solar thermal power plants and what would this cost to construct?

Explanation / Answer

Effective generation capacity= 50% of 280 MW=140 MW

Need=7200 MW

7200/140=51.4286

Land to be dedicated= 51.4286 x 1900= 97714.34 acres

Cost= 51.4286 x 1.5= 77.1429 billion $

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