Posted on 09/23/2016 10:57:43 PM PDT by aquila48
“So, off the top of my head; in order to generate enough power to be equivalent to a nuke plant, you would need an area that is almost 20 miles by 20 miles of solar panels.”
Not quite... You’re off by a factor of ten. It’s 40 sq miles not 400. So an area roughly 6x7 miles. Still a big area for the equivalent of one nuke.
“Re: the thermal solar comment; feel free to do a search for the Ivanpah Solar Plant in California, just South of Primm (Stateline) NV.”
I’ve been by there several times on my way to Vegas. Stopped once and walked near the mirrors to take a close look. I was hoping they had a visitor center and a tour of the plants...
I’m a nuclear engineer, but I’m for all the above when it comes to energy production. Anything that works and is safe enough is fine with me. Let the market decide. In California the price of conventional electricity has gotten high enough and the price of solar low enough that now solar is cheaper. So I’m contemplating going solar, that’ll more or less fix the cost for the next twenty years, whereas PG&E just keeps climbing - 15% the last two years alone.
I wonder what the $$/kWh cost of this monstrosity is.
But how much of that increase each year from PG&E is from operating costs which include the ridiculous things yours and their taxes are paying for brought on by the Kalifornja legislature? Are you considering that every panel will need to be replaced in 10 years or less and that the actual generation will diminish progressively until they die altogether?
Just how in the H are they going to regulate cattle farts outside of just killing them off? Nevermind all of the deer, elk, bear and even domesticated animal farts, or how to know the difference.
Morocco gets about 3,000 hours of sunlight per year
What do they do the other 5760 hrs or at night?
Sleep?
You have been mis-informed. The rightwing media has focused on the one line in the legislation that says the regulators can regulate cattle farts if the technology is available. But the technology doesn't exist.
The legislation is about cow manure and landfill gas.
It provides funding to lower the cost of a manure digester. Once you know that, you can get up to speed on manure digesters.
Cow manure also causes run-off water pollution which creates algae blooms and dead zones in rivers, lakes and the ocean. Like wise with hog/chicken/veal manure and fertilizers.
The legislation also requires composting of organic material rather than disposing in landfills where they emit methane.
Some disagree. Rather than pay these huge subsidies to produce cellulosic alcohol to be blended into gasoline, it would be better to use this material to produce landfill gas to generate electricity because that process already exists without subsidies
I think you've over-guesstimated the required area.
There's 640 acres to the square mile.
So, 6000 acres would be a bit over 9 square miles, or a square just over 3 miles on a side. Still big, but only about one fourtieth of your estimate.
So after billions and billions of dollars, the best solar science can create is a “steam” generator? Pathetic!
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