Developed by engineers for engineers.

Is The Future For Solar In Deserts Or On Rooftops?

A recent study by David Anthony says that solar energy, despite all of
the effort to increase its usage, still only accounts for less than one
percent of the energy we consume. The amount of solar energy that
reaches the Earth’s surface every hour is greater than mankind’s total
demand for energy in a whole year. The total energy stored in the
world’s supply of fossil fuels is equal to just twenty days of solar
energy.

http://bit.ly/a2CLcC

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bryan St.Martin on February 25, 2010 at 5:30am: I think both, Lance.
I have been keeping an eye on the solar collector systems, and they produce a lot of power, from the solar energy they recieve, and can store a great deal of heat in storage systems for continued operations at night.
While burying a tank of salt in your yard probably isn't appealing to most and probably wouldn't be done, the system still could provide all the homes energy throughout the day, unloading the power grid demand.
The desert arrays can be a boon, you could easily bury a sodium tank to store excess energy for night use, and estimates are that a 5mi sq array would satisfy all of Californias current energy needs.
Unlike PV cells, solar collectors don't lose effeciency over time from panel degradation (5% per yr for PV).
The thermal medium is the current negative factor, requiring annual replacement. Not sure how much oil is in 25 miles of collectors (non tower type), but the cost would have be less than the continuous electrical maintenance of a PV field.

One of the large package couriers (IIRC FedEx) use PVs on their roof in Cal and actually sell power back to the grid.
Considering all of the roofs in America it seems a likely solution.
Bryan; ▶ Reply to This