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Monday, January 01, 2007 100 Solar MegawattsPhotovoltaic power plants to produce 10 times as much electricity By Kevin Bullis
When the 10-megawatt Bavaria Solarpark began operations at three German sites in 2004--with 62 acres of silicon panels able to power several thousand homes on sunny days--it was one of the largest photovoltaic plants in the world. Now, bolstered by high energy prices and government incentives, a new crop of photovoltaic power plants--including one that might produce 10 times as much electricity (see table below)--are planned around the world. The market for solar cells is doubling every 18 to 24 months, says Michael Rogol, a solar-industry consultant. While thin-film solar technology is lighter--good for rooftop applications where weight is an issue--larger solar-power installations tend to use silicon-based technologies, which require less acreage and wiring for a given electrical output. Organization Size/date Location Zhonghao New Energy Up to 100 megawatts by 2011 Dunhuang City, China Acciona (Madrid, Spain) 62 megawatts by 2010 Moura, Portugal SunEdison (Baltimore, MD) and SkyPower (Toronto, Ontario) Up to 50 megawatts by Three to five 10-megawatt |



Comments
Elroch on 01/11/2007 at 9:06 PM
27
bubba36 on 01/22/2007 at 5:07 PM
2
Keep swinging, just don't expect any wholesale movement to renewables until our present sources become too expensive... in dollars, personal risk, or environmental impact. Meanwhile, promote PV and the newer emerging energy technologies where there is economic, social, or environmental justification.
gman on 03/26/2007 at 12:13 AM
3
A good read is: Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction by Terry Tamminen and Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future by Jeff Goodell
Redneck on 01/22/2007 at 6:18 PM
1
Or, are we spending trillions of dollars on oil wars to ensure "the system" works?
If everyone had a solar panel on their home to power their home, car and small garden would that work out well for "the system"?
Add the price of war, oil spill clean-ups, diseased and sick citizens from pollution and then calculate the "cost" in comparison to energy from renewable sources.
bubba36 on 01/22/2007 at 6:39 PM
2
I'm not promoting, or defending, either side of the green-v-fossil fuel fight, just pointing out the obvious. I have my own opinions regarding the modern world's energy habits but, like most people, my ability to effect change on a global scale is rather limited. I just manage my own life so as to be a good steward of the resources I have been afforded, and I encourage and assist others in doing the same.
An Arab businessman recently pointed out that the stone age did not end for want of stones. Similarly, the fossil fuel age will not end when coal and oil vanish, but when society at large demands its end; for whatever reason.
One last comment; I recommend we don't look to the Political world for an answer... Politicians of any stripe will likely support whatever will support them, hardly the best choice for a loyal ally in what is sure to be a very long, hard effort.
jfinlayson on 01/29/2007 at 5:00 PM
3
That would be Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi oil minister from 1962 to 1986. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Zaki_Yamani
The wording most often quoted is:
"The Stone Age came to an end not for a lack of stone, and the oil age will end, but not for a lack of oil."
I'm not sure when he (or anyone else) first said that. I remember hearing it in 1976 at an Energy seminar (though I don't recall the attribution). Vinod Khosla thought it was the 1960s (http://www.principalvoices.com/2006/debates/san.francisco/transcript2.html#six). Another article places it in 1973 (http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/trm-crt.nsf/en/rm00114e.html)
Chad on 05/09/2007 at 5:07 PM
6
Ethanol may be frowned upon by the scientific world, and I agree its not a final answer, but it is a start at getting people to change their ways. Henry Ford made the Model T to run off ethanol. Petroleum gas came along, was cheaper, so we forgot about it. The 70's oil embargo led us back to ethanol, but the embargo conveniently ended at just the right time and we shoved that research in a dark corner again. (Brazil kept up with it and now produces from locally-grown sugarcane over 90% of their fuel - and continues to cut down the rainforest for more farming and living space).If we can only keep the transition moving, we can finally move to something that will answer all our questions. But that answer may come in various forms.
Everyone needs to stop concentrating on only one answer and build a combination of such. Solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal. They are all there and have been all our lives, and throughout the lives of our grandparents. I have pix of my great-grandparents powering their farm in approx. 1910 with a couple of windmills - electricity wasn't quite the big thing it is now, though.
I only hope we can open our eyes to the multiple solutions before it's too late.
screamingmarsupial on 02/06/2007 at 12:48 PM
1
gman on 03/26/2007 at 12:31 AM
3
Corporations say they want to self regulate there carbon emissions by a cap and trade system. I think all monies generated by a cap and trade system or carbon taxes should subsidize clean and renewable energy resources, particularly setting up PV for low income families who have a tough time making it by.
devassocx on 04/05/2007 at 4:08 PM
19
All this solar stuff and other alt energy forms are
great...when they become economically viable and not
before.
This whole cycle is just a repeat of the '70s. Study
history and you can see what will ultimately happen
and you will find its all about the economics.
rhapsodyinglue on 04/05/2007 at 4:54 PM
54
Too much subsidy can lead to undesirable economic distortions, such as excess capacity in the semiconductor segment. But the current level of subsidy of green energy, or even much higher, I believe is easily justified by both environmental and national security reasons, and we are no where near the point where governments are creating wasteful excess capacity of green energy.
rhapsodyinglue on 04/05/2007 at 4:44 PM
54
toharsha on 01/02/2008 at 3:54 AM
1