July 1, 2013
LIFE VALLEY:
Is Anything Stopping a Truly Massive Build-Out of Desert Solar Power? : Engineers and industry agree that although challenges abound in utility-scale solar in the sunniest places on Earth, we have the technology to go big in the desert (Dave Levitan, 7/01/13, Scientific American)
The vast and glittering Ivanpah solar facility in California will soon start sending electrons to the grid, likely by the end of the summer. When all three of its units are operating by the end of the year, its 392-megawatt output will make it the largest concentrating solar power plant in the world, providing enough energy to power 140,000 homes. And it is pretty much smack in the middle of nowhere.The appeal of building solar power plants in deserts like Ivanpah's Mojave is obvious, especially when the mind-blowing statistics get thrown around, such as: The world's deserts receive more energy beamed down from the sun in six hours than humankind uses in a year. Or, try this one: Cover around 4 percent of all deserts with solar panels, and you generate enough electricity to power the world. In other words, if we're looking for energy--and of course, we are--those sandy sunny spots are a good place to start.
Posted by Orrin Judd at July 1, 2013 7:12 PM
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