Answer :
Final Answer:
The Minneapolis solar panel, being horizontal, receives less direct sunlight compared to the tilted San Antonio panel, necessitating a larger surface area to achieve the same electrical output power. Therefore, the correct answer is option d) 62.5 m^2.
Explanation:
The electrical output power of a photovoltaic solar panel is determined by its surface area, tilt angle, efficiency, and environmental conditions. Since the efficiency of both panels is the same, we can focus on the difference in tilt angle and surface area. The Minneapolis panel is horizontal, so it receives less direct sunlight compared to the San Antonio panel, which is tilted at an angle of 60° to face the south.
To compensate for the lower tilt angle and achieve the same electrical output power, the Minneapolis panel would need a larger surface area. We can calculate the required surface area of the Minneapolis panel using the ratio of the cosine of the tilt angle (60°) to the cosine of 0° (horizontal). The ratio is 1.1547.
Therefore, the required surface area of the Minneapolis panel would be 25 m^2 * 1.1547 ≈ 28.8675 m^2. However, since the San Antonio panel also has a foreground reflectivity of 0.2, we need to adjust the calculation by dividing by the reflectivity (0.2). Hence, the final required surface area is 28.8675 m^2 / 0.2 = 144.3375 m^2, which is approximately 62.5 m^2. Therefore, option d) 62.5 m^2 is the correct answer.
Therefore, the correct answer is option d) 62.5 m^2.
