Solar Farm: What Is It and How Does It Work

With increased reliance on solar energy, solar farms are becoming more common than ever. A solar farm is an ideal source of renewable energy to power large-scale communities and homes in areas with abundant sunlight. An average solar farm on 1 acre of land can generate over 300,000 kWh of electricity per year with good sunlight conditions.

Although it is difficult to ascertain the total number of solar farms in the United States, reports suggest that over 5000 solar farms, including both utility-scale and community farms, are spread across the country. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), these farms contributed almost 3.4% of the total electricity in 2022. So, if you are eager to learn more about solar farms, their types, and their operation, this guide will help.

What is a Solar Farm

A solar farm, also known as a “solar park” and “solar power plant,” is essentially a massive piece of land fitted with large-scale solar panel arrays. With the help of large-scale, ground-mounted solar panel arrays and other key equipment, a solar farm is capable of generating a huge amount of electrical power from solar energy.

Solar farms are different from residential and commercial solar power systems and usually rely on thousands of photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted to the ground to generate electricity, enough to power a town or a city.

These high-powered solar power plants operate just like any other large-scale power generation facility. The only key difference is that they use renewable energy, i.e., sunlight, to generate electricity instead of non-renewable elements like coal or fossil fuel.

Different Types of Solar Farms

There are two main types of solar panel farms: utility-scale solar farms and community solar farms. While both types of solar power farms are large-scale, there are a couple of differentiating factors between them that we have discussed below.

Utility-Scale Solar Farms

Utility-scale solar farms are very large installations typically owned by utility companies. However, in rare cases, the power generated in utility-scale solar farms is sold to wholesale utility buyers via a power purchase agreement (PPA).

Utility-scale solar farms can generate anywhere between 1 MW and 2000 MW of electricity, which is enough to power a small town or a city. Hence, a utility company or wholesale utility buyer is the primary customer of electrical power generated through utility-scale solar farms.

After acquiring the utility-scale solar farm-generated electrical power, the utility company or the buyer distributes it to residential, commercial, and industrial customers connected to their grid.

Community Solar Farms

Community solar farms are large-scale solar power systems but not as big as utility-scale solar farms. A community solar farm, also called a “solar garden,” is a small-scale version of a utility-scale solar farm and tends to cater to the electrical power consumption of a community in an area or region.

The amount of electrical power generated using a community solar farm usually ranges from 100 kW to 5 MW. However, in certain areas, community solar farms can generate less than 100 kW of power. Due to their smaller scale, community solar farms typically cater to community solar subscribers.

They can either purchase a share of the entire solar farm and own the electrical power generated from their portion of solar arrays or lease energy from the community solar farm to replace their monthly utility bills with community solar payments, which come at a lower price.

How Does a Solar Farm Work

Now, the operation of a solar farm is not different from how a typical solar power system works. Here is a step-by-step process showcasing the operation of a typical solar power plant:

Sunlight Capture and Photovoltaic Effect

It all starts with capturing sunlight's energy using ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels systematically laid out on a large field or open area. The photovoltaic effect then converts sunlight's energy to an electric current.

Conversion from DC to AC

The next step involves using inverters placed within the solar panel farms to convert the Direct Current (DC) electricity to Alternating Current (AC) electricity. It is an essential step as most homes and commercial spaces use AC electricity to power their devices and appliances.

Distribution via Power Grid Connections

After the DC electricity is converted to AC electrical power, it is transmitted via cables to a substation. The substation is usually connected to a larger power grid, from which the electricity generated by solar farms is distributed to residential and commercial spaces.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Farms

Much like any other system in the world, the system of generating electrical power through solar farms has advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the key pros and cons of solar farms:

Advantages of Solar Farms

Here are some of the advantages of investing in solar farms:

Good for Environment

Amidst the threat of climate change and the reduction of non-renewable elements, one of the significant advantages of solar farms is their environment-friendly nature. Solar farms utilize renewable energy from sunlight to generate massive amounts of electricity that can power cities and towns.

Employment Opportunities

Apart from serving as an ideal source of electricity, solar farms can also generate employment opportunities for individuals. Both utility-scale solar farms and community solar farms require operational and maintenance duties, which can provide a reliable source of income for individuals living near solar farms.

Usage of Under-Utilized Lands

Solar farms can be established on any kind of land, regardless of their mineral content or other factors, so they can convert under-utilized pieces of land into sustainable sources of renewable energy generation.

Disadvantages of Solar Farms

Here are some of the disadvantages related to solar farms:

High Upfront Costs

Solar farms are massive establishments with thousands of photovoltaic (PV) panels and other high-capital equipment. Hence, creating a solar panel farm of such scale requires a very high initial investment.

Energy Storage

Another major disadvantage of solar farms is energy storage. Solar panels can only work during the day when the sun shines. So, it needs to be stored to utilize the power generated by the panels during nighttime. Hence, installing such energy-storage technologies for solar farms can become difficult and expensive.

Habitat Disruption

As solar panel farms require large areas to establish, they can disrupt the local ecosystems and displace wildlife, negatively impacting the overall conditions of the area where they are created.

How Much Does a Solar Farm Cost

There are various factors involved when calculating the cost of establishing a solar farm. However, assuming you already have the land to spare, a typical solar farm installation can range from $0.89 to $1.01 per watt. It means that if you want to set up a solar panel farm with the capability of generating 1 MW of electricity, you will need to spend around $890,000 to $1.01 million.

Now, the above example is merely an oversimplified version. In reality, establishing a solar farm depends on a variety of factors, including the prices of solar panels, batteries, and other utility equipment. However, as per reports generated by the Solar Energy Industries Associate (SEIA), establishing a solar farm costs much less than installing residential solar panels when considering the per-watt cost.

How to Start a Solar Farm: Key Considerations

Now, if you are planning to start your own solar farm, here are some of the key factors that you must consider:

Land Requirement

As mentioned before, solar farms require large areas of land to install all the solar panel arrays. Moreover, when considering land requirements, you must also consider the additional land space required to install supporting equipment such as batteries, inverters, and monitoring systems. Typically, installing a 1 MW solar farm with all the solar panel arrays, the spaces between them, and other supporting hardware requires 6-8 acres of land space.

Proximity to Grid Connection

Apart from the amount of land space required to establish a solar farm, you must also consider the proximity of that land to a grid connection. A nearby grid connection will not only benefit permits and agreements with utility companies but also reduce transmission costs.

Funding and Investment

Funding and investment are other significant factors you must consider when planning to establish a solar farm. As aforementioned, solar farms require a high upfront investment as they rely on high-end, emerging technologies and pieces of equipment.

Design and Engineering

Establishing a solar farm is not an easy task and requires prior designing and engineering. Hence, you must consider the design and engineering aspects of the solar farm depending on its type and scale.

Operation, Management, and Maintenance

Solar farms, unlike residential or commercial solar power systems, require minimal labor to operate, manage, and maintain. So, before starting your solar farm, you must plan on how to operate the systems, manage the equipment, and maintain the solar panel arrays.

Community Requirements

Now, as solar farms are large-scale power-generation systems, you must consider the requirements of your community. At the end of the day, the solar farm you plan to establish will be used by your community, not only yourself but also your community.

Conclusion

This brings us to the end of our guide to understanding the concept of solar farms. Solar energy is becoming more relevant every day, and that is driving companies and communities to start solar power plants in nearby areas with underutilized land space. Although solar energy utilization has a few disadvantages, they can be mitigated using the right technological advancements.

With more companies and governments pouring funds into establishing high-power solar farms, we expect these solar power stations to eventually replace fossil fuel-supported power-generation facilities. That will not only help reduce the overall carbon footprint around the world but also lead to a sustainable future for humankind. If you want to build a small or large solar farm for your needs, you may consider checking out the wide range of Renogy solar panels available.

FAQs about Solar Farm

1. Are solar farms profitable?

Yes, solar farms can be profitable in the long run and generate steady income from electricity production. Investing in a solar farm can offer a higher return than other similar investments and contribute to environmental improvements.

2. Why are solar farms bad?

A few negative factors related to solar farms include negative ecological impact, habitat loss for wildlife, visual disturbances in rural areas, and high upfront costs.

3. Do solar farms affect the weather?

Yes, massive solar farm establishments can impact the weather and the overall climatic conditions of an area or region. However, for that to happen, a solar farm needs to be gigantic.

4. How much electricity does one acre of solar panels produce?

The amount of electricity that one acre of solar panels can produce depends on various factors, including the capacity and efficiency of the solar panel, the environmental conditions of the area, etc. However, in an ideal situation, an acre of solar panel-laden land can generate 1 MW of electricity.