Assumptions: The Three Gorges Dam is rated at its full
design capacity of 18 gigawatts. A nuclear power
plant is postulated to be the equivalent of a
1.1-GW unit at the Diablo Canyon plant in
California. A coal plant is one rated at
500 megawatts. A wind turbine is one with a
100‑meter blade span, and rated at 1.65 MW. A
solar panel is a 2.1‑kilowatt system made for
home roofs. In comparing categories, bear in
mind that the average amount of time that power
is produced varies among them, so that total
energy obtained is not a simple function of
power rating.