Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Solar panels harvest energy from the sun to generate electricity. Many people know or have the small-scale panels seen in buildings and homes. However, massive solar power farms or plants generate electricity for a larger population of people. Germany, Spain, and Japan have led the development of these farms for generating commercial energy. The US has followed their lead, with the massive 250 acre 64 megawatt plant in Nevada.
A major reason why they have not been very popular because the high maintenance and development cost outweigh the generated electricity. Solar thermal power plants are cheaper than photovoltaic plants. Solar thermal cost about 15-17 cents per kilowatt/ hour as compared with conventional electricty which is between 5-8 cents per kilowatt/ hour/. Many say that solar power needs to cost 10 cents to be effective. It is estimated, if we keep advancing solar thermal, that by 2014 in the Southwest solar power can power over a million homes. The solar thermal plants use sun's energy to heat liquid, which produces steam. This steam spins turbines that generate electricity.
The benefits for solar energy are obvious. Solar energy is a renewable source that does not produce any pollutants. It is the cleanest possible. More should be done to advance solar plants: through increased government development and subsidies to solar companies. It is seeing a surge and will increase with proper funding and development.
4 comments:
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Kevin,
I read your blog and I am very interested in the fact that solar energy can be used to power homes. This is essentially a completely green and renewable resource. I just wanted to know how the photovoltaic solar power works and why in comparison to the solar thermal that it is less cost effective.
Thanks,
Robert Lapp -
Tommy,
I know photovoltaic costs much more than thermal (the cells are costly to produce). Solar, hydropower, and wind are all extremely clean. It is hard to quantify them. -
igetnosleep,
photovoltaic harvest the sun's energy (complicated process) and stores them in batteries. Thermal just gathers sun's energy to raise the temperature of water to produce steam and spin a turbine to generate electricity.
thanks for the comments
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Kevin,
Solar power possesses immense potential, but how much does solar photovoltaic power cost? Also, how efficient is solar thermal power compared to solar photovoltaic power? Can either of these methods capture more potential power than the other method? Finally, how is solar energy the cleanest energy source? I thought wind power, hydropower, and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion(OTEC) were just as clean as solar power. On a side note, for information on OTEC, check my blog post "Why Limit Water to Drinking?".
Tommy