Posts Tagged ‘solar power’

A Surprising Challenge to the Future of Solar and Wind Power

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

solar-panels-in-snow.jpeg
(credit: Mike Weston)

According to the International Energy Agency, cutting carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2050 will require almost half the world’s energy to come from sustainable sources (like sun and wind, instead of oil and coal).

These alternative energy sources are getting cheaper and more popular in the U.S., but the New York Times has just revealed a little-known fact about the solar and wind energy we’re learning to love: it’s backed up by coal power.

That’s right. Because the sun isn’t always shining and the wind isn’t always blowing, energy from clean sources can’t consistently meet the needs of our power-hungry populace. So when output dips on the wind farms, it has to be supplemented by old-fashioned power sources.

And the power plants of yesteryear just aren’t built for that kind of one-and-off output. The bottom line: Either alternative energy has to advance to the point of not needing supplementation, or traditional power plants need to spend a lot of money updating their equipment.

We wonder… could there be some financial incentive that would get the old energy companies to play nice with the new ones?

If sustainable energy is your thing, make a statement. Start your Mission Statement in Learn to Give.

U.S. To Build World’s Largest Solar-Power Plant

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

China may be in the lead when it comes to investing in renewable energy, but the U.S. is about to take a 1,000 megawatt leap.

  • The Obama administration just approved a permit allowing a $6 billion solar thermal plant to be built on federal land in a California desert.
  • Solar thermal energy production isn’t the same as photovoltaic solar panels. The plant works by using mirrors to direct sunlight into a tube, where its heat generates steam and moves turbines.
  • The company building the plant, Solar Trust of America, intends to start construction immediately to take advantage of government incentives for renewable energy projects before the year ends.

Facts & Figures

  • This plant, along with 8 others recently approved by the CA Energy Commission, will produce enough power to sustain 800,000 homes.
  • CA law requires all state utilities generate 1/3 of their power from renewable energy by 2020.
  • Solar Trust estimates that this project alone will create 7,600 jobs.

New Ideas For Former Farmland

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Farmers and environmentalists are building renewable energy plants on polluted or contaminated farmland.

  • Although environmentalists previously objected to many plans for solar energy plants, they are willing to accept them when built on already-contaminated or out-of-use farmland.
  • This arrangement benefits farmers because they often don’t have enough water to irrigate all the land they own.
  • If this arrangement proves successful, the government plans to adopt it on a more widespread level.

Facts & Figures

  • This project, called the Westlands Solar Park, involves building solar panels on 9,000 acres of leased farmland. This area will generate a projected 600-1,000 megawatts of electricity.
  • The current transmission capacity in the Westlands is up to 600 megawatts; building the plant to 5,000 megawatts, as is planned, would require major construction on transmission lines that could take over a decade.
  • If the Westlands project is successful, the federal government wants Westlands to take over another 100,000 acres of contaminated farmland.

Best Quote

“It’s about as perfect a place as you’re going to find in the state of California for a solar project like this. There’s virtually zero wildlife impact here because the land has been farmed continuously for such a long time and you have proximity to transmission, infrastructure and markets.” –Carl Zichella, former Western Renewable Programs Director, Sierra Club

Solar Powered Plane Spends More Than A Day In The Air

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Solar power supporters are jumping for joy as a solar powered plane accomplishes the impossible…

  • On July 8, an experimental solar powered plane completed its first flight lasting more than 24 hours, marking a huge milestone in solar energy technology.
  • The plane, called the Solar Impulse, was piloted by André Borschberg. The plane gets its power from thousands of solar cells that absorb energy projected by the sun and store it so that the plane can continue its flight after dark.
  • The initial goal of the project was to prove that a plane of airliner-size could successfully stay aloft indefinitely by recharging its batteries each night. With the success of the Solar Impulse, the project’s founders hope to eventually create a plane that can circumnavigate the world using solar power.

Facts & Figures

  • The Solar Impulse weighs 3,500 pounds.
  • Total flight time was 26 hours and 9 minutes.
  • During the flight, the Solar Impulse reached a maximum speed of 78 miles per hour.

Best Quote

“I’ve been a pilot for 40 years now, but this flight has been the most incredible one of my flying career. Just sitting there and watching the battery charge level rise and rise thanks to the sun. I have just flown more than 26 hours without using a drop of fuel and without causing any pollution.” – André Bourschberg, Pilot

Solar Power Doesn’t Have To Be Ugly

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

A new generation of environmentally-friendly solar power products seek to blend into your life instead of announcing themselves in the form of giant black panels.

  • Companies that make photovoltaic cells are beginning to manufacture solar power equipment that’s meant to be incorporated into buildings, instead of installed on and around existing structures.
  • These new products, often in the shape and style of existing roof tiles or shingles, are expected to be popular among the burgeoning green building industry. (Depending, of course, on how much and how quickly the economy begins to recover.)
  • Though this kind of built-in solar power is very new to the U.S., government subsidies throughout Europe have made it an increasingly popular choice there.

Facts & Figures

  • In California, a typical homeowner would pay approximately $20,000 to have her home outfitted with enough photovoltaic cells to generate half of her home’s power needs.
  • Built-in solar products cost 10-20% more to install than conventional solar power products.
  • In Europe, government incentives mean an investment in “building-integrated photovoltaics” pays for itself in five to seven years.

“The new materials are part of the building itself, not an addition, and they are taking photovoltaics to the next level — an aesthetic one.” – Alfonso Velosa III, Research Director at Gartner and Co-Author of a Report on the Market for Building-Integrated Photovoltaics

Europeans Find Electric Desert In North Africa

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
Companies from Europe are searching the globe and Africa in particular, for real-estate suitable for their green energy dreams.
  • Desertec is an ambitious European project that harvests solar power in North African desert and delivers it to Europe as electricity.
  • Last week, a group of German companies committed to significant financing for the project.
  • Supporters emphasize the connection between economic and ecological sense and the implications of such an enormous international cooperative; critics suggest a bi-continental plan is inefficient, could result in a negative foreign dependency just like oil, and could further assert Euro-imperialism.

Facts & Figures

  • As it’s planned, Desertec would be the largest centralized solar power production project in the world.
  • The electricity produced could account for as much as 15% of the European Union’s power.
  • It is expected to cost €400 billion ($555 billion).

Best Quote

“The time now is perfect to start this initiative as climate protection has become an urgent issue and our economies need new impulses.” – Alexander Mohanty, a Munich Re spokesman.