{"id":400257,"date":"2025-09-05T12:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T10:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=400257"},"modified":"2025-09-05T12:00:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T10:00:10","slug":"why-dislike-solar-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=400257","title":{"rendered":"Why Dislike Solar\u00a0Power"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"723\" data-attachment-id=\"400272\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=400272\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?fit=1280%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?fit=723%2C723&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=723%2C723&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Aerial view of a large solar farm with extensive rows of solar panels set on green grass, surrounded by trees and clear blue sky.\" class=\"wp-image-400272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=450%2C450&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=60%2C60&amp;ssl=1 60w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?resize=550%2C550&amp;ssl=1 550w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/rclutz.com\/2025\/09\/04\/why-dislike-solar-power\/\">Science Matters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/rclutz.com\/author\/ronaldrc\/\">Ron Clutz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Post on X by Chris Martz. In italics with my bolds and added images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Why do I dislike solar so much?<br><br>Because solar farms are a giant waste of land and natural resources.<br><br>Let\u2019s do some math.<br><br>A single 1,000-megawatt (MWe) nuclear reactor occupies ~1 mi\u00b2 (640 acres) of land. Nuclear also has a capacity factor of 0.923, meaning a reactor will\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5N1gzJmPwN\">https:\/\/t.co\/5N1gzJmPwN<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/B8kr34RKKQ\">pic.twitter.com\/B8kr34RKKQ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Chris Martz (@ChrisMartzWX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisMartzWX\/status\/1963307825079488665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 3, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Why do I dislike solar so much?&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Because solar farms are a giant waste of land and natural resources.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s do some math.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"589\" height=\"715\" data-attachment-id=\"400262\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=400262\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-88.png?fit=589%2C715&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"589,715\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-88.png?fit=589%2C715&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-88.png?resize=589%2C715&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Map showing Albany, New York, highlighted in yellow, along with nearby areas and landmarks such as the Indian Point Energy Center and Long Island Sound.\" class=\"wp-image-400262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-88.png?w=589&amp;ssl=1 589w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-88.png?resize=247%2C300&amp;ssl=1 247w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 589px) 100vw, 589px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">To replace now closed Indian Point nuclear power plant would<br>require covering Albany county with solar panels.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A single 1,000-megawatt (MWe) nuclear reactor occupies ~1 mi\u00b2 (640 acres) of land. Nuclear also has a capacity factor of 0.923, meaning a reactor will generate ~92.3% of the maximum theoretical amount of electrical energy in a year that it could have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/what-generation-capacity\">https:\/\/energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/what-generation-capacity<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thus, a 1,000-MWe reactor will produce ~8.08 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity per year, enough to power over 770,000 homes throughout the course of a year (assuming Americans purchase an average of 10.5 MWh per household per year).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><em>= [1,000 MW \u00d7 (24 hours \/ day) \u00d7 (365 days \/ year) \u00d7 0.923] \/ 10.5 MWh \u2248 770,046 homes On the contrary, a solar photovoltaic&nbsp;<strong>(PV) farm requires 5-10 acres per MW<\/strong>&nbsp;(we\u2019ll assume an average of 7.5)&nbsp;<strong>Solar PV has a capacity factor of 0.234<\/strong>. Thus,&nbsp;<strong>a 1,000-MWe solar farm occupies ~7,500 acres of land,<\/strong>&nbsp;but it would only<strong>&nbsp;power ~195,223 homes<\/strong>&nbsp;assuming, once again, Americans purchase 10.5 MWh of electricity per year, on average.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>= [1,000 MW \u00d7 (24 hours \/ day) \u00d7 (365 days \/ year) \u00d7 0.234] \/ 10.5 MWh \u2248 195,223 homes So, you\u2019d&nbsp;<strong>need ~4,000 MWe of installed solar capacity to power<\/strong>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<strong>same&nbsp;<\/strong>number of<strong>&nbsp;homes as a single 1,000 MWe nuclear power station<\/strong>,<strong>&nbsp;and ~46.2\u00d7 the land area,<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>not including<\/strong>&nbsp;the land required for enough&nbsp;<strong>battery storage<\/strong>. But, it gets even worse if you factor the battery storage required.&nbsp;<strong>Solar PV\u2019s average output is 234 MW.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>= 1,000 MW \u00d7 0.234 = 234 MW per hour OR 5,616 MWh per day OR&nbsp;<strong>39,312 MWh per week For a week\u2019s worth of battery backup<\/strong>, it would require&nbsp;<strong>an additional 23,587.2 acres of land (assuming battery storage requires 0.6 acres \/<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Rooftop solar is fine.<\/strong>&nbsp;Installing it on the roofs of homes, stores, warehouses, etc.&nbsp;<strong>can be useful. But, doing this is not.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"406\" data-attachment-id=\"400265\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=400265\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-89.png?fit=900%2C506&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"900,506\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-89.png?fit=723%2C406&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-89.png?resize=723%2C406&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Aerial view of a large solar farm featuring rows of solar panels spread across expansive land.\" class=\"wp-image-400265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-89.png?w=900&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-89.png?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-89.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"483\" data-attachment-id=\"400266\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=400266\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-90.png?fit=970%2C648&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"970,648\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-90.png?fit=723%2C483&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-90.png?resize=723%2C483&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A person walking in front of snow-covered solar panels in a winter landscape.\" class=\"wp-image-400266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-90.png?w=970&amp;ssl=1 970w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-90.png?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-90.png?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Snow covered solar panels at University of MIchigan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See Also<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-science-matters wp-block-embed-science-matters\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"HHMlPQrtqE\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rclutz.com\/2023\/01\/09\/southwestern-solar-bright-shining-disappointment\/\">Southwestern Solar: Bright Shining&nbsp;Disappointment<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Southwestern Solar: Bright Shining&nbsp;Disappointment&#8221; &#8212; Science Matters\" src=\"https:\/\/rclutz.com\/2023\/01\/09\/southwestern-solar-bright-shining-disappointment\/embed\/#?secret=Dk3TGRFIA2#?secret=HHMlPQrtqE\" data-secret=\"HHMlPQrtqE\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"388\" data-attachment-id=\"400269\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=400269\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-92.png?fit=525%2C388&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"525,388\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-92.png?fit=525%2C388&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-92.png?resize=525%2C388&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Map showing the locations of solar farms around the world, marked with red dots over a geographic representation.\" class=\"wp-image-400269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-92.png?w=525&amp;ssl=1 525w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-92.png?resize=300%2C222&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Because solar farms are a giant waste of land and natural resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":400272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"Discover why solar farms waste land and resources compared to nuclear power in this insightful article by Ron Clutz. Learn the math behind it.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Why Solar Farms Waste Land: An Insightful Analysis","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-400257","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","9":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOPJyRtntuQ7Nml4NCCDu-jY1KkjFY21hY5Ejs9YRJu1o_hVZPI5p5LSIsNFijT5hGpjK9E1pA6e3xaCP_NR39V74gVeDtNbeBSfGWXTvhLqjJBUccweEDL8ygIu2hdg-aIUcBkyC1-ejCh-xq9BatVWCfDpA-1.jpeg?fit=1280%2C1280&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1G7L","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":396714,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=396714","url_meta":{"origin":400257,"position":0},"title":"Solar Bankruptcies: The New Normal","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"21\/08\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cNever again; let the free market choose winners and let government not pick losers.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In \"American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009\"","block_context":{"text":"American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-of-2009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPtHI5FXoB5ezGiElJAXLJvmqwVpasxAXRJZzpjfTmlS1nsPuP7LkMO6cv4Cp0ReQaM7nm3FhEi2K2Xmuhep4C0aaS0GcVFKgf1uNOJBU_yNjjFrQCaSfXa1658DCmMPiBblDscm8uiZZQZRm9wyRpEAoIwhQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPtHI5FXoB5ezGiElJAXLJvmqwVpasxAXRJZzpjfTmlS1nsPuP7LkMO6cv4Cp0ReQaM7nm3FhEi2K2Xmuhep4C0aaS0GcVFKgf1uNOJBU_yNjjFrQCaSfXa1658DCmMPiBblDscm8uiZZQZRm9wyRpEAoIwhQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPtHI5FXoB5ezGiElJAXLJvmqwVpasxAXRJZzpjfTmlS1nsPuP7LkMO6cv4Cp0ReQaM7nm3FhEi2K2Xmuhep4C0aaS0GcVFKgf1uNOJBU_yNjjFrQCaSfXa1658DCmMPiBblDscm8uiZZQZRm9wyRpEAoIwhQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPtHI5FXoB5ezGiElJAXLJvmqwVpasxAXRJZzpjfTmlS1nsPuP7LkMO6cv4Cp0ReQaM7nm3FhEi2K2Xmuhep4C0aaS0GcVFKgf1uNOJBU_yNjjFrQCaSfXa1658DCmMPiBblDscm8uiZZQZRm9wyRpEAoIwhQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQPtHI5FXoB5ezGiElJAXLJvmqwVpasxAXRJZzpjfTmlS1nsPuP7LkMO6cv4Cp0ReQaM7nm3FhEi2K2Xmuhep4C0aaS0GcVFKgf1uNOJBU_yNjjFrQCaSfXa1658DCmMPiBblDscm8uiZZQZRm9wyRpEAoIwhQ-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":337396,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=337396","url_meta":{"origin":400257,"position":1},"title":"The solar boom has busted: In the last six months Europe\u2019s solar manufacturing has collapsed by half\u2026","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"24\/07\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Forty year old German solar panel producers are closing factories they only opened three years ago. The world now has the capacity to make 1,600 GW of solar panels annually, but demand has unexpectedly flat-lined \u2014 staying at barely 500GW. In a world awash with solar panels that no one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Europe\"","block_context":{"text":"Europe","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=europe"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0-solar-panels.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0-solar-panels.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0-solar-panels.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0-solar-panels.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0-solar-panels.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":395273,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=395273","url_meta":{"origin":400257,"position":2},"title":"Solar Cycles in 150 Years of Global Sea Surface Temperature Data?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"15\/08\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Signals of warming during solar maximum and cooling during solar minimum years are found in the global SST over the 14 cycles from 1854\u20132007.","rel":"","context":"In \"global sea surface temperatures\"","block_context":{"text":"global sea surface temperatures","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=global-sea-surface-temperatures"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0Screenshot-2025-08-15-133159.png?fit=1200%2C708&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0Screenshot-2025-08-15-133159.png?fit=1200%2C708&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0Screenshot-2025-08-15-133159.png?fit=1200%2C708&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0Screenshot-2025-08-15-133159.png?fit=1200%2C708&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0Screenshot-2025-08-15-133159.png?fit=1200%2C708&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":368803,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=368803","url_meta":{"origin":400257,"position":3},"title":"Yes, Coal and Natural Gas are Much Cheaper Than Wind and Solar","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/03\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Renewable power advocates often claim wind and solar are less expensive energy sources than coal, natural gas, and nuclear power. Such a claim begs the question of why the heavily subsidized Ivanpah solar power facility is going out of business, following a long line of other renewable energy project bankruptcies.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"coal\"","block_context":{"text":"coal","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=coal"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00wind-turbines-2991696_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00wind-turbines-2991696_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00wind-turbines-2991696_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00wind-turbines-2991696_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/00wind-turbines-2991696_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":345389,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=345389","url_meta":{"origin":400257,"position":4},"title":"Strongest Solar Flare Yet of Solar Cycle 25 Took Place Earlier Today\u2026CME To Strike This Weekend with Widespread Auroras Possible","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/10\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Solar Cycle 25 is nearing its solar maximum and \u2013 as is typical during this phase of a solar cycle \u2013 there has been a lot of solar activity in recent weeks with numerous sunspots. The strongest solar flare yet during this current solar cycle took place earlier today with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"AR3842\"","block_context":{"text":"AR3842","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=ar3842"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/solarfalare.webp?fit=975%2C970&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/solarfalare.webp?fit=975%2C970&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/solarfalare.webp?fit=975%2C970&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/solarfalare.webp?fit=975%2C970&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":325642,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=325642","url_meta":{"origin":400257,"position":5},"title":"German solar industry collapsing: unable to make solar panels from solar power","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/05\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"About 90% of solar panels installed in Germany come from China, and earlier this year one of the last solar panel manufacturers closed in Germany. Last week, what was left of the industry begged for mercy (and subsidies) which they didn\u2019t get. Now another German solar panel manufacturer has closed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0Krughutte_Luftaufnahme_Parabel-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0Krughutte_Luftaufnahme_Parabel-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0Krughutte_Luftaufnahme_Parabel-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C563&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0Krughutte_Luftaufnahme_Parabel-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C563&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/0Krughutte_Luftaufnahme_Parabel-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C563&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=400257"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":400273,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400257\/revisions\/400273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/400272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=400257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=400257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=400257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}