Posted on 12/27/2010 7:01:09 AM PST by Dominic L. Fottfoy
California is the solar capital of the U.S., if not the world. There are now more than 72,000 systems in the state, generating an estimated 724 megawatts of power. Agriculture is embracing solar just as rapidly as other industries and municipalities. There are too many incentives, finanancial and otherwise, for producers not to grab sunbeams.
(Excerpt) Read more at westernfarmpress.com ...
Now ponder the fact that a SINGLE medium size fossil fuel fired generating UNIT would produce that same amount of power 24 hours a day and the power can be turned up and down on demand. Plus, it doesn't go to "sleep" when the sun doesn't shine. Remember, I am talking about a single generating unit, not an entire power plant comprised of multiple units.
Even if you are not a power engineer, which one do you think makes the most sense?
Well let's do the math. One megawatt is a million watts so we have 724 million watts being produces by 72 thousand systems. 724000/72=10055 watts per system. Call it 10 thousand watts per system. Not bad. What is missing since NOBODY knows how to report accurately any longer is the watt-hour production. 10 kilowatt-hours would be impressive per system. Not quite enough to run a house but impressive for a passive system. But if this is the total annual production then it is a HUGH waste of money and each system could barely power a low enegy light bulb during the day. You decide, since the idiot that wrote this knows NOTHING about the subject.
I've already decided.
Waste of money ... but I'll bet it's impressive to those hustling enviro-dollars.
“Im no engineer, but isnt 72,000 systems delivering 724 megawatts a bad return on investment?”
Not when the “incentives” - subsidies - are funded not by private revenue of the ventures, but by the taxpayers.
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