a 648MW solar power plant produces 5.67 TWh/year (648 365 * 24).*
Is it reasonable to assume that a solar power plant will operate at peak capacity 24 hours per day? (hint: what happens to its output during night hours?)
Is it reasonable to assume that a solar power plant will operate at peak capacity 24 hours per day? (hint: what happens to its output during night hours?)
But in practice, this is mitigated by the actual power grid, another plant(s) somewhere else would take over at night. On a coal plant it is harder to adjust the load factor on the fly, it is not instantaneous. On a gas plant or a hydro dam, it is a matter of minutes, the turbines can start very quickly. That's why usually when such utility-scale renewable plants are installed, they need to be paired with another load-following plant, such as gas. Nevertheless, a renewable+gas/coal plant means less CO2 emissions, so I guess it's a good thing.