Solar power farm coming to Disney

NelsonRD

NelsonRD

Well-Known Member
ABQ said:
I'm thinking it will be traditional cell collectors, just basing this on the "48,000 panels" That just sounds like an astonishing number if it's reflectors and not collectors.
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Possibly, it just seemed to me that 5 MW was a lot of power from what I would think would be a small footprint.
 
A

arko

Well-Known Member
NelsonRD said:
If I am correct, these are not going to be solar panels as you may think. I think this will be a series of movable mirrors, that will direct sunlight to a central point, which will then heat up, and be used to boil water, where the steam generated will then be used to turn steam generators. Therefore, nothing secondary this can be used for - as the mirrors are always moving and must stay clean.
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You are referring to a solar thermal tower, which uses mirrors directed at a tower to create a solar furnace using molten salt which then heats water into steam which runs a turbine. The article and press releases reference solar panels not mirrors.
 
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Frankie The Beer said:
Ok, how much actual power can a solar plant that size actually produce? Nuclear power that size could probably power the whole resort, but solar? Hopefully this is more than just a nice "we're green" photo op.
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andysol said:
Sorry to break it to you, but this is just a nice "we're green" photo op in the shape of Mickey's head.
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Five MegaWatts.

The average home in Florida uses 14.33 MegaWatts per year.

So yes, this is just a drop in the bucket. But its a start.
 
P_Radden

P_Radden

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
Better specifics were posted somewhere on these boards in the last year. I'm afraid I forget the exact date.
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Did a little research and found this info on when they were replaced:
"During the mid 1990s, rising operating costs caused the system to fall into disrepair and eventually disuse. It wasn't until almost a year after the show rehab in 1996 that Disney management decided to bring the entire solar array back to life. After nearly a year of work, all 2,200 solar panels were replaced along with all of the wiring and electrical components of the system. The array was finally rededicated and put back into operation in 1998. Almost two decades after its construction, the solar array still continues to give visitors to the Universe of Energy a "ride on sunshine." "

For some reason I thought they were replaced more recently than that
 
danlb_2000

danlb_2000

Premium Member
There is 20 acres here that is not conservation land....

Capture.JPG
 
Tom

Tom

Beta Return
PhotoDave219 said:
Shouldn't be an issue as there's already land designated for conservation everywhere. None of that should be disturbed.
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danlb_2000 said:
I did some searching on the South Florida Water Management District but didn't find a permit for this yet. They were probably waiting to file until the agreement was announced so their thunder didn't get stolen.
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I wonder if the recent filing for offset wetlands/conservation area had anything to do with this.


GrumpyFan said:
According to the WDWMagic Facts page,

Energy Consumption at WDW
The average daily consumption is of 60 to 62 megawatts.
​
I'm not sure if that's a current figure. Anybody?
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If one house in Florida really uses 14MW a year, 60 a day for property is EASILY reachable. That's the equivalent of 1579 homes in one day (14mw / 365 = .038mw/day --> 60 / .038 = 1579).
 
GrumpyFan

GrumpyFan

Well-Known Member
The fact that it's only 5 mw and planned to be along World Drive and Epcot Center Drive (assumed visible by guests), seems that it's more of a publicity/marketing initiative than actual green power initiative.

Seems odd to put it there though, with the power plant on the other side of Epcot, between Epcot Center Drive and Overpass Road (shown below).

EpcotPowerPlant.JPG
 
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articos

articos

Well-Known Member
P_Radden said:
Did a little research and found this info on when they were replaced:
"During the mid 1990s, rising operating costs caused the system to fall into disrepair and eventually disuse. It wasn't until almost a year after the show rehab in 1996 that Disney management decided to bring the entire solar array back to life. After nearly a year of work, all 2,200 solar panels were replaced along with all of the wiring and electrical components of the system. The array was finally rededicated and put back into operation in 1998. Almost two decades after its construction, the solar array still continues to give visitors to the Universe of Energy a "ride on sunshine." "

For some reason I thought they were replaced more recently than that
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We had been talking about this recently here in Mystery Project at Epcot. Energy's array was last replaced in 97/98.
 
NelsonRD

NelsonRD

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
If it is like most solar systems, 5MW is the absolute peak the system can produce. The actual output will be a fair bit lower.
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I understand the 5MW is the peak output. I also understand that it does not need to be sunny to generate solar electricity. I am just suggesting that while Disney is large, I didn't think they would want to devote large real estate needed for large solar generation, and possibly this is a different setup, but all labeled 'solar' as most people do not understand, or care, about the differences. Especially while steam generation is more proven and efficient the solar.

This is another example of an article with limited details resulting in dozens of opinions and speculation. I just provided mine. When its done, we can all reply to this thread on how wrong I may or may not be....
 
A

arko

Well-Known Member
RandomLurker said:
OK - I'm curious.....

Does anyone know what the LEGAL DEFINITION is for "what can be built on Conservation or Wetland?" We know roads, hotels, and a number of other things are forbidden. But is absolutely EVERYTHING forbidden? By name? By type? I don't know.

This could be a very CLEVER move by Disney... we have the Holy Hand Grenade of "SOLAR", fighting it out with the Holy Hand Grenade of "CONSERVATION LAND". Brilliant - get Green warring with Green :).

This COULD be a very effective way for Disney to make practical use of a lot of property that they simply can NOT build on. I wish I understood if all, or only defined, building was forbidden on "Conservation Land".
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If its managed by South Florida Water Management, you can bet everything is forbidden including having to remove any invasives they find.
 

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