Comments on: Struggles Over California, Arizona Desert Solar Power

By: Enviro dingBATS target wind energy | No Apologies

Enviro dingBATS target wind energy | No Apologies — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:19:03 +0000

[...] bat, according to a report from ABC News. In related news, California Senator Dianne Feinstein is pushing for federal legislation to block one million acres of the Mojave Desert from solar power development, so as to protect the endangered desert [...]

By: SEIA Speaks Up For Arizona Solar | GetSolar.com Blog

SEIA Speaks Up For Arizona Solar | GetSolar.com Blog — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:48:46 +0000

[...] discussed the desert solar battle on this blog before, so I won’t go into it too much now. Suffice it to say that both sides make some very [...]

By: California Solar Developers Ask For Red Tape Reduction | GetSolar.com Blog

California Solar Developers Ask For Red Tape Reduction | GetSolar.com Blog — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:20:42 +0000

[...] of approval has become something of a theme with solar development in the southwest and California. Various bills have been proposed that would (a) speed up the approval processes for solar energy plants or (b) at [...]

By: Rate Crimes

Rate Crimes — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:02:01 +0000

We have already prepared ample space in the desert for solar energy. The rooftops sprawling across nearly 17,000 square miles of the Phoenix metropolitan area is enough area to generate from solar all the energy needed.

By: Solar & Wind Power From Mexico Could Soon Come to San Diego | GetSolar.com Blog

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:57:59 +0000

[...] clashes over endangered wildlife and the complexity of the country’s permitting processes temporarily [...]

By: Rate Crimes

Rate Crimes — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:34:07 +0000

Excellent point about water consumption, Ed. It should also be noted that any flavor of solar consumes only a fraction of the water consumed by nuclear energy generation.

By: Rate Crimes

Rate Crimes — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:32:03 +0000

It may not be popular with the utility-scale solar crowd, but we have already scraped enough desert to site and generate all the solar energy we need . . . our roofs and yards.

http://ratecrimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/on-its-back.html

By: Margaret Collins

Margaret Collins — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:58:35 +0000

Thanks for catching that typo, Ed! Hopefully my meaning was clear by spelling out the technology in question. It's also worth noting that the water use issue in CSP is one on which the industry is actively working. The problem with dry cooling systems is that they haven't been cost competitive with wet cooling so far, to the best of my knowledge. Hopefully solar thermal plants and the desert can work together more harmoniously in the future. Solar updraft towers (see Connie's recent post) present another alternative.

By: Ed Gunther

Ed Gunther — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:19:25 +0000

“Some solar technologies do require a hefty water supply–Concentrated Solar Power, or CPV, uses solar to make steam that powers turbines–”

Concentrated Solar Power is abbreviated CSP.

CPV refers to Concentrating PhotoVoltaics which requires negligible water use for photovoltaic module cleaning only.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:32:11 +0000

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