alt Hacker News> This is incorrect, you mean 180 kWp/m.
This is incorrect. 18000 Wp/100m = 180 Wp/m or 180 kWp/km. So parent is correct, and you can either add or drop a "k".
That is peak power, obtainable in summer months & muuch less in winter.
Over the whole year: 16000 kWh/100m = 160 kWh/m = 160 MWh (160,000 kWh) per km.
Yes yes, and no. The k was obviously wrong, I cant believe I wrote that. lol
But you cant just drop the p. The p means you won't even get that.
This part seems correct tho:
> ...so it would take 50 km of panels to power one high speed train.
160 MWh/km * 50 km = 8 GWh = 8 000 000 kWh
High-Speed train after acceleration uses about 30 kWh/km
8GWh / 30kWh = 270000km
A typical high speed train in Europe drives between 300 000 and 450 000 km/year
The 50 km solar wouldn't be enough.
A passenger train using 6 kWh/km could drive 1 350 000 km using 50 km of solar.(27000 km/km)
There is about 10 000 km of high speed rail in the EU and about 200 000 km of rail in total. All combined trains travel some 4.1 billion km per year.
4 100 000 000 km / 27 000 km = 151 851 km
It fits but very slowly.
We should order the 72 888 480 panels. If they cost 50 euro each it would only cost 3.6 billion.
Took them 3 years to install 48 so 72 million would take 4.5 million years.
Maybe the Chinese can help.