Several new solar Power Plants are under consideration in such locations as California and New Mexico who have regular patterns of Sun. It is fair game to inquire, then, on the overall effectiveness and practicality of Solar Power systems on the large scale. How much can solar power be used to provide for America's energy base?
The proposed answer is simple. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar solar power stations can not create the output of a fossil fuel power station. The energy trapped in coal, natural gas, and diesel fuel is very concentrated and very potent. Combustion fuels will continue to outperform the renewables market for as long as carbon based fuel prices remain low.
Combustible fuels can be thought of concentrated and stored Solar Energy from millenia before and in that sense are not really a bad thing. Without fossil fuels we would have no way to support our industrial base and would be without out many of our modern technologies.
Most of our comforts and commercial activities are founded on several industries. This foundation includes the mining of ores from the Earth, and the manufacturing of raw materials such as aluminum, iron, steel, copper, and more. It includes plants to produce airplanes, automobiles, machinery, tools, electronics and every little gadget we use on a regular basis. It also includes large machinery required for harvesting lumber and other agricultural products.
Simply put we use a lot of electricity in our regular daily lives. This energy consumption is the foundation of our economy and our way of life and it is supported by burning fossil fuels.
And here is the fundamental problem with large solar power plants. They can't supply adequate energy to support America's industrial base. This does not mean they are irrelevant or undesireable. It just means solar power systems make the most sense when used in residential and small commercial applications where energy consumption is moderate.
As an example, a 500 MegaWatt combustion Power Plant can fit in a relatively small space, less than a 1/4 square mile without much difficulty. When considering a Photovoltaic solar power plant, nearly 1,140 acres (almost 2 square miles) of solar panels would have to be installed to equal this same capacity. This is 2 square miles of actual solar panels, and does not account for the mounting and maintenance space. Being that solar panels provide peak power only 5 to 7 hours per day, then apples to apples we're only getting the total output with more than eight times the space!
In locations that make sense, we need to include solar power solutions as part of our energy portfolio. We must pay homage, however, to our modern combustion technologies. Modern combustion systems are cleaner and more efficient than ever before, and provide enormous amounts of power 24 hours a day. The energy density of fossil fuels is just to high to ignore when it comes to powering America's industrial base.
Want to find out more about solar power, then visit Jim's site on how to choose the best solar power for your needs.