Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumWorld’s Biggest Solar PV Projects Under Way In SoCal
http://www.earthtechling.com/2013/04/worlds-biggest-solar-pv-projects-under-way-in-socal/What will become the worlds largest solar photovoltaic development is now in major construction mode in Californias Antelope Valley, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.
The solar manufacturer and developer SunPower and the utility company MidAmerican announced this new status late last week, coinciding with a big community event at the 3,230-acre site, where preliminary work began in January.
The development consists of Antelope Valley Solar Project 1, a 309-MW plant that will straddle the Kern-Los Angeles county line; and AVSP 2, a 270-MW plant that will be entirely in Kern County.
When completed by the end of 2015, if all goes according to plan, the Antelope Valley Solar Projects will add up to 579 MW, dwarfing any other PV outpost in the world.
<more>
msongs
(67,420 posts)theirs. why should we have to pay them to use it?
longship
(40,416 posts)I guess power companies should keep on using coal, gas, and nuclear, eh?
Not everybody can afford to put PV cells on their roof. And where I live it wouldn't do much good, especially in the winter. A windmill wouldn't be very useful here either.
But my local power company could get plenty of useful power with wind turbines off shore in Lake Michigan. That would cut into greenhouse emissions.
It's an economy of scale that's important. Alternative energy sources are only going to become widespread and affordable if the energy suppliers adopt them. There will certainly be individuals who can afford it, but if we have to rely solely on them we'll be in real trouble if currently predicted climate projections are correct.
But if you can afford a PV power system, and have sufficient sunlight, more power to you. (So to speak.)
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)Not everyone can, you know.
3.7 Million panels!
silverweb
(16,402 posts)[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Eliminating the need for fossil fuels and converting completely to clean renewable energy is the goal.
Every new solar installation brings us that much closer. Shout it!