Jan 15 2010
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energy
The dark horse, the underdog, the compassionate idealist versus the corporate megalomaniac. Big versus Small is a theme so pervasive in the annals of our literary and secular history that we hardly bat an eye at the annual barrage of Hollywood and pop fiction vehicles repeatedly driving the little point Dell 8N544 Dell RN873 home. And almost universally as individuals, we side with that little guy as he takes on forces seemingly beyond his control. It’s a simple, human story and we like it.
The Big vs. Small Debate
The same sort of story is developing in the solar industry, and beside the need for improved technology, this is arguably its most pressing issue.
“Big Solar” wants vast, concentrated solar power plants scattered across hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in the desert Southwest. “Small Solar” says forget that laborious, land-swallowing tactic and use the millions of acres of open rooftops Dell TC030 Dell PC764 and vacant lots in and near our urban centers. The debate has spawned an odd situation, pitting environmentalists against each other in a somewhat dogmatic fight for the same thing: more solar power. What do we want? Solar Power! How do we want it? Um…
The reasoning on both sides is pretty straight-forward. If you haven’t been tuned in to this point, here is a brief explanation of the main points Inspiron 6000 Battery (a more detailed summary can be found here):
The Small Solar Argument
Environmentalists are opposed to giant remote solar plants for environmental reasons:
Deserts are pristine landscapes which CSP plants would undoubtedly upset, causing irreparable harm to unique flora and fauna.
Water is a scarcity in deserts, and solar thermal plants consume millions of gallons of water each year for cooling Inspiron 700m Battery.
Long transmission lines must be built to deliver remote solar power to the urban point of use. Why spend billions on lengthy lines when PV could create the energy at the point of use?
But the issue goes deeper, or rather, broader than that. The Big-Small dilemma is pitting the new “eco-capitalists” against the “eco-democrats.” In other words, utilities that want to maintain power Latitude D630 Battery (and profit) over our energy generation, and those who take a “power to the people” approach, wanting distributed generation over centralized power.
Becoming Our Own Power Producers
That, I posit, is the original benefit of solar power Latitude D400 Battery once proudly preached by all in the industry – that free and clean energy can replace our self-deprecating fossil fuel addiction. But that point has been lost in the mire of economics and capital. Now, I am not against private enterprise in the solar industry. Indeed, venture capitalists are in many ways driving solar innovation, with some help from public money. Yet the true potential of solar energy is not just a move away from fossil fuels; it is a fundamental redesign of our energy economy. A potential investor-owned utility must inherently oppose this – independent power producers are no good for bottom lines. Period.
Most of us, however, are not interested in Edison’s or Pacific Gas & Electric’s bottom lines. We are interested in our own, and if we let the opportunity for rooftop solar pass us by, we give up the opportunity to gain a new measure of control over our own fortunes and ell KD186 Dell Y9943.
For years, plans for large-scale solar power went on without question. When environmental issues were brought to mass attention, however, that changed. And as the controversy continues, the more clout small-scale solar power gains…for good reason. With PV prices falling, there is less of a price gap between solar thermal and solar electric prices per watt Inspiron 6400 Battery. According to the Energy Information Administration, the cost of PV is roughly $0.26/kilowatt-hour (kWh), while solar thermal maintains at just over $0.22/kWh. That does assume we’re talking about a PV plant of at least 25 megawatts, meaning that it excludes small homeowner systems, but retains the benefits of proximity to point-of-use and would likely still allot some local power to utilities. Although, some commercial businesses could house such a system as well.
Is There Reason to Support Big Solar?
The point is that costs are dropping and technology is improving at Moore’s Law rates. So, while we need solar now, especially to meet state renewable portfolio standards, there is no need to rush into something that could, in the end, cost a lot more than a few extra cents per kilowatt-hour. As an individual – homeowner or not – there is little reason to Inspiron E1705 Battery support large-scale projects that, even if oil and coal are absent, require massive amounts of other precious resources, like land and water, not to mention the high cost of new transmission lines. This is money better spent making our existing urban grid more intelligent and capable of handling the new responsibility of housing thousands of independent power producers in a single network.
Small Solar = Lower Costs for Consumers in the Long Run
Furthermore, as utility customers, we are all too aware of the way added electricity costs get passed on to the customer. Significant rate hikes are almost an annual tradition these days, especially in power-hungry Inspiron E1505 Battery states like California, where much of the controversy and much of our collective solar power originates. What better way to lock in cheap, eventually free, electricity rates than by producing the power yourself? I have yet to see a good reason to keep power out of the hands of the little guy, the David. All arguments against us stem from “eco-panic,” or the idea that we’d better just let the big boys handle this one or we’ll never solve the problem in time.
Unfortunately, nobody’s “on time” when it comes to solar power generation. We should have kept right on swinging toward solar when Jimmy Carter got the ball rolling in the 1970sto Dell XPS M1210 Battery Dell GK479. But we didn’t, and in the 30 years following, it was largely a movement of the people that kept solar power alive – at least on the fringes of our society. Now that we have everybody’s attention, let’s be sure to keep it that way.
