The article in the Oct. 16-17 Sentinel on the Hinsdale solar array was misleading, as usual.
It claims it will “generate up to 50 megawatts of energy — enough to power up to 7,000 homes.” Those two numbers are accurate, but only at noontime on a bright, sunny day. When you ask how much it will generate on average, through the night and on cloudy days, the numbers drop by 80 percent. These real numbers are 10 megawatts and 1,400 homes.
Unfortunately, the number of acres is not given. Just as a caution, the replacement of a Seabrook, or other large power plant by a solar array, would require clear-cutting two state forests, making two deserts underneath.
Does the developer have any use for the desert he plans to create? Or for the runoff from his large cleared area in a heavy rain?
Hoping someone else will too.
