MidgePhotoFeb 26

"The solar panels delivered by a single container ship will generate as much power over their lifetimes as more than 50 ships carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) or 100 carrying coal, according to recent IEA analysis."

#solar #coal #ships

Show threadMidgePhoto

So, I didn't check the calculation, because it seems plausible.
But

How many panels in a container?
https://www.mobilesolarcontainer.com/blog/how-much-solar-panels-in-a-shipping-container/

700 in a 40ft (2TEU) container

How many containers on a container ship?
Google: 20000

How much electricity from 1 panel
Lets say 400Wp

How many hours per day?
Lets say 8 (ignoring tailing on and off at the ends of a longer day)

How many days - years - for
Lets say 365*25=9125 and call it 10000

I make that 44 800 TWh
But please check it

Now, LNG tankers...

How Many Solar Panels Fit in a Shipping Container? A Practical Guide to Solar Deployment & Shipping

In our solar container solutions, a 40ft High Cube typically accommodates 700–750 solar panels.

Mobile solar container systems
Feb 27 at 3:34pmWeb
Show threadMidgePhotoFeb 27

Google: A "standard LNG carrier" holds 3.6Petajoules (We shall have 50 of them)

So now we have to convert between kWh and PJ, and I can't be bothered, dive in.

44 800 TWh vs 3.6PJ * 50

Show threadMidgePhotoFeb 28
Now, if one were to buy the contents of, say, 50 #LNG carriers, what would that #cost? Delivered at power stations etc ready to burn.
Show threadMidgePhotoFeb 28

32Euros per MWh
https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/eu-natural-gas

Per tonne might be handier, but 3.6 thousand million MWh per ship would be
115200 Million Euros
(and 50 is 5.76E12)

Leaving aside the cost of operating and servicing the power station that is burned in (solar farms need building and an occasional wipe over)
How much does a shipload of solar panels cost, containers delivered where one wants to build?

(No clue, actually, but rather less than that. And you can sell the electricity for the same price.)

EU Natural Gas - Price - Chart - Historical Data - News

TTF Gas fell to 27.09 EUR/MWh on December 4, 2025, down 3.50% from the previous day. Over the past month, TTF Gas's price has fallen 14.87%, and is down 41.72% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. EU Natural Gas - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on December of 2025.

Show threadFuture SprogFeb 27

4.48TWh = 4.48e10 KWh

= 1.6128e17 J

= 161.28 PJ

@Photo55

Show threadMidgePhotoFeb 27

@futuresprog (3.6PJ is conveniently about 1000GWh isn't it, so about 45 ships at 25 years.)

Later: Aha! The #conversion of the thermal energy of the LNG into electricity in a power plant is no more than 50%

So perhaps 90 ships at 25 years.

(OTOH if the rejected heat can be used for something useful - eg distilling water, or heating the neighbourhood in winter, or some industrial process - then the difference is less bad)