Posted on 07/25/2014 4:33:57 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The sun is the most important energy source on Earth. Solar energy powers the growth of all trees, grasses, herbs, crops and algae; it creates the clouds and powers the storms; it is the source of all hydro, photo-voltaic (PV), solar-thermal, bio-mass, and wind energy. Over geological time, it also creates coal.
PV solar panels are useful in remote locations and for some portable applications. With enough panels and batteries, standalone solar can even power homes.
But solar energy has five fatal flaws for supplying 24/7 grid power.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
“But the whole solar spectrum is blocked, thus robbing 100% of the life-giving sunshine from the ground underneath, creating a man-made solar desert. ”
Which is why they are generally constructed in the desert
The current problem with capturing solar energy is that we demand that it be carbon free and we want to use it directly.
Plant a tree, let the sun shine on it for 20 years, cut it down and burn it in the middle of a winters night to recapture all of that energy from the sun.
There was a scheme by a number of European energy companies from about five years ago. They were going to pour in billions in north Africa for a huge solar collection center, then run some cabling under the Med....back to Europe and get some eventual “cheap” electricity.
All of this went through the planning process....big talk....and one day, they announce the whole scheme is cancelled. No more discussion, period. I got the impression that it was a white paper project with no potential for completing in the real world.
The article does a good job of putting the topic in prospective.
...and wind is no better. Max 30 percent efficiency. That is max, no one in their right mind is going to the bank on thirty percent efficient.
Hah. From what I can tell, Europeans are very good at forming committees to examine and learn about a problem, but for solutions? All they do is talk and talk, and nothing is ever acted upon. Our Congress is so enthralled with the European method, that they’ve been doing the same exact thing for a number of years now. Fortunately for us, we are usually better off the more they only fumble around. Our best times seems to be when the government shuts down. They are not getting in the way of productivity.
Fatal flaw of solar energy = night.
I’m just getting ready to read the article, but I confess that though I’m interested in solar for my home, there is only one, single, compelling reason:
If a SHTF scenario unfolds and it is the ONLY source of electricity. If it’s “solar or nothing”, I’ll opt for solar.
The aim of enviro-tech implementation is ridding the planet of capitalism, and humans. Only the hippies remain.
People underestimate the land needed for significant solar collectors. In a learned paper published in 2013, Graham Palmer has produced a credible calculation that it would take a square with 31-km sides, completely filled with PV panels, to collect energy equivalent to Australia’s annual electricity requirements.
If that is true, they should have done this a long time ago. Supplying all of Austrailia’s power by sacrifciing a measley ~20 mile “square”. That’s nothing.
That sounds about right.
IMO, solar works pretty well on a limited basis. Using it in a situation with a large included energy storage device (ie, a solar hot water system) makes perfect sense to me.
Solar for an entire house? OK, sure. I'd think that the startup costs would be prohibitive (esp. if you remove gov't subsidies for it, which is a whole 'nother discussion) and I'd also think that there's a fair bit of maintenance and upkeep expenses involved. I don't know that from experience, that's just an assumption. But, as you put it - in a "Solar or Nothing" situation, solar is a compelling argument. :-)
Large Scale, though? I don't see it. When a cloud in the sky can interrupt your entire production line, it's not a sustainable business model. I'd think that just keeping acres of the panels *clean* must be a daunting task.
I agree with your scenario. Also good for low power remote location where cost of electrical infrastructure would likely equal or exceed cost of solar power.
Many moons ago my dad made a solar system for heating his garage in Kansas. Consisted of beer and pop cans painted black, a wood frame about 6 by 15 feet and a glass covering ( old windows) and 5 foot tall 4 foot diameter water holding tank. The solar unit heated the water which ran through radiators in the garage work shop, 10 by 15 feet. Stayed pretty nice out there most of the time.
Solar energy. Our fair-weather friend.
Also oil and natural gas. Though some claim possible abiogenic sourcing for some of these fuels.
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