Solar energy shines brightly for California agriculture

Western Farm Press ^ | 12/27/2010 | Harry Cline

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Think about that for a moment. You have 72,000 individual systems running all over the state. The power is not "dispatchable" meaning you cannot control when it is available to meet demand requirements. The individual systems are not controlled as a single large system. And what do you suppose are the logistical problems of maintaining 72,000 separate systems spread all over 156,000 square miles?

Now ponder the fact that a SINGLE medium size fossil fuel fired generating UNIT would produce that same amount of power 24 hours a day and the power can be turned up and down on demand. Plus, it doesn't go to "sleep" when the sun doesn't shine. Remember, I am talking about a single generating unit, not an entire power plant comprised of multiple units.

Even if you are not a power engineer, which one do you think makes the most sense?

[jpsb]

"I’m no engineer, but isn’t 72,000 systems delivering 724 megawatts a bad return on investment ?"

Well let's do the math. One megawatt is a million watts so we have 724 million watts being produces by 72 thousand systems. 724000/72=10055 watts per system. Call it 10 thousand watts per system. Not bad. What is missing since NOBODY knows how to report accurately any longer is the watt-hour production. 10 kilowatt-hours would be impressive per system. Not quite enough to run a house but impressive for a passive system. But if this is the total annual production then it is a HUGH waste of money and each system could barely power a low enegy light bulb during the day. You decide, since the idiot that wrote this knows NOTHING about the subject.

[knarf]

Well .. I've already confessed my ignorance, so I guess my question is a quasi statement .. thus;

I've already decided.

Waste of money ... but I'll bet it's impressive to those hustling enviro-dollars.

[Wuli]

“I’m no engineer, but isn’t 72,000 systems delivering 724 megawatts a bad return on investment?”

Not when the “incentives” - subsidies - are funded not by private revenue of the ventures, but by the taxpayers.