For people wondering about the relative costs between renewable energy and grid-based (usually coal or gas) electricity, the biggest question is, can solar power be as cheap as coal? Granted, installing solar panels requires an upfront investment, but the decision of whether or not to go solar often depends on how quickly you can recoup [...]
Solar thermal power is quite different than solar PV power. The latter uses traditional solar panels, usually installed on rooftops or ground-mounted to generate solar electricity. PV power can be generated by individual installations, or via utility-scale solar power plants. Solar thermal, on the other hand, is a large-scale utility-scale operation. Solar thermal energy is [...]
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Floating solar power plants may be the answer to two of the biggest hurdles for utility scale solar power plants: (1) the need for large areas of land; and (2) costs related to maintenance of solar cells. Solar power technology developed through a partnership between Solaris Synergy from Israel and the EDF Group from France [...]
Abundant sunshine, favorable governmental conditions and locations near high-voltage electrical transmission lines make Boulder City, Nevada the perfect place for solar energy. In fact, the city council just approved the fifth solar power plant for the city, called the Black Hills site, in the El Dorado Valley Energy Zone. Boulder City Nevada is the site [...]
Continue reading about Another Solar Power Plant Slated for Boulder City Nevada
All across the “Land of Enchantment” the state of Nevada is shining bright with a solar power future. To the south, near Boulder City, over a million solar panels cover desert lands, generating utility scale solar electricity. Using First Solar panels, the project will generate enough clean electricity to power about 26,000 homes, saving 123,000 [...]
The 30 megawatt Cimarron Solar Facility recently started commercial operations and is one of the largest utility scale solar power plant in the U.S. While New Mexico is not usually thought of as warm, it does have plentiful sunshine! The new solar PV plant generates electricity for about 9,000 homes. The solar facility was developed [...]
Continue reading about Utility Scale Solar in New Mexico: the Cimarron Solar Facility
Anyone that has been following the news over the past few years in Southern California will see that the politics of solar power is not easily navigated. When it comes to utility scale solar power plants, the idea of green, renewable power isn’t the end of the story. For many environmentalists, developing what would otherwise [...]
Across the United States, cities and states are establishing goals to encourage a switch to renewable energy. But no one has gone as far as the City by the Bay. San Fransisco has made it a goal to be 100% clean energy powered by 2020. That’s just 9 years away! San Francisco mayor made the [...]
Continue reading about San Francisco Makes a Goal to be 100% Clean Energy Powered by 2020
No matter where you are in the world, solar power can be harnessed for clean, fossil-fuel free energy. On the island of Tenerife (the largest of the Canary Islands), a utility scale solar facility draws on the sunshine from this area known as “Eternal Spring,” off the western coast of Africa. Even though its a [...]
Chicago’s South Side is home to the largest urban solar plant in the nation! The former industrial site has been improved with over 32,000 solar panels with tracking technology to help maximize efficiency by following the sun across the sky. Operated by Exelon Corporation, the project has resulted in a number of green jobs, while [...]
