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by ldbooth 873 days ago
Generally agree, though let's be real that transmission and distribution losses for ground mount solar are not slight, they are in the 30-40% range, like all utility T&D.
2 comments

That's much too high an estimate, at least for the United States:

How much electricity is lost in electricity transmission and distribution in the United States?

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that annual electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) losses averaged about 5% of the electricity transmitted and distributed in the United States in 2018 through 2022.

https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=105&t=3

That's just outright false. Where did you get it from.
I can't find a link so I'll explain it...

Single high voltage transformers approach the 6-8% at full load... Not to mention the wire losses and other transformers in the system minimum 3-5). The number you quoted from the EIA is not accurate. See this Nameplate Z% (impedance aka losses) of an ABB 20MVA transformer: https://images.app.goo.gl/hXNTWAv1xnu83znQ7 It is higher as the transformers get larger.

Correction tho... 30-40% includes the losses from generation, not just T&D. And if you keep searching the EIA quoted that at 34%.

> The number you quoted from the EIA

I didn't quote any numbers.