While this could go in Astronomy, this is a physics related question. The topic says it all; how much power do the station's solar panels generate and how much does the station use? How sustainable are the panels, and what would be their designated lifespan by the engineers? Thanks.
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Solar Power Space Systems has designed, built and tested, eight solar array wings that will provide reliable electrical power for the 16-nation cooperative International Space Station (ISS). The eight wings, each 107 by 38-feet, will, when fully deployed in space, encompass an area of 32,528 sq. ft. The Space Systems ISS solar arrays thus will become the largest deployable space structure ever built and will be, by far, the most powerful electricity-producing arrays ever put into orbit. The eight flexible, deployable solar array wings will generate the reliable, continuous power for the on-orbit operation of the ISS systems. Each wing consists of a mast assembly and two solar array blankets. Each blanket has 84 panels, of which 82 are populated with solar cells. Each panel contains 200 solar cells. The eight photovoltaic arrays thus contain a total of 262,400 solar cells. When the ISS begins its mission, each cell will produce about one watt of power, for a theoretical maximum system power output of 246 kilowatts. That is enough electricity to power about 200 homes. After 15 years in orbit, the cells will have become less efficient, providing only 185 kilowatts of power. The functional testing of the solar array flight hardware has involved several extension and retraction cycles of the 107-foot deployment mast and solar array blankets. Additionally, all individual solar panel circuits have been flash-tested with simulated sunlight to verify output power. Further, a close inspection has ensured that individual solar cells can withstand the harsh environment of space while converting sunlight into electricity. Arrays have also been exposed to harsh vacuum and thermal environments that simulate conditions 200 miles above the Earth's surface, and tested further in an acoustic chamber to simulate the violent shaking vibrations that accompany launch aboard the Space Shuttle. The first two solar array wings were launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour and installed on the Space Station in December 2000. The six remaining solar array wings will be launched on three separate shuttle flights in 2002, 2003, and 2006. Under a $500 million contract from the Boeing-Rocketdyne Division in Canoga Park, Calif., Space Systems has designing, developed, built and tested the eight array wings for delivery to the Boeing Company and NASA. http://jem.tksc.nasda.go.jp/iss/doc04_e.html
