Solar article, video: "Solar power will take over soon"?

[Rain]

http://www.green-blog.org/2010/03/09/solar-power-will-take-over-soon/

Yes, yes, I know, we already have a solar thread, but I didn't want to crowd that one with this article.

Breakdown:
*The surface of the Earth receives an amount of solar energy equivalent to roughly 10,000 times the world's energy demand. That's ten thousand times the energy we could possibly use in a given period of time.
*A solar panel converts one sixth of the sunlight into electrical energy. Anybody want to do the math?
*they are already so efficient that space isn't much of an issue anymore.
*Solar power is roughly fifty times as space-efficient as growing crops for bio fuels.
*According to the Energy Information Administration, in 1956 solar PV panels were $300 per watt, and in 1980, the average cost per solar modules was $27/watt and has fallen precipitously to approximately $2/watt in October 2009.
*Recent predictions say that solar energy could become cheaper than conventional (coal, crude oil) by 2013!!!!!!

What excites me about solar energy: solar energy will not just be good for the environment, but will also give other enormous benefits to society.
*Another great thing about solar power is that it can provide cheap electricity to poor countries (in sub-Saharan Africa, etc.) where the power supply is unreliable and many villages aren't connected to an electric grid.

However, "Despite of being fantastic in a lot of ways, cheap solar energy isn't enough by itself to completely solve the energy-problem. We also have to make sure that fueling your car on solar power is cheaper and easier than using gasoline. Although maybe not within the run of this decade, I also think that electric cars will dominate the roads sooner then we think."

[Tompa'Ivong]

and here's the unique thing, take a village for example, take like 1 small solar cell, have it to where everyone owns one, you create a matrix out of them and all of a suddenly you have a viable power source, you use an array of traditional lead acid or Li-Ion batteries to store the power, you run everything on DC, which mostly eliminates power spikes

[Txura Rolyu]

the only thing you would have to watch for is this: where will the resources for the panels come from?

I heard once that the batterys that are in the prius's have created a big strip ite somewhere to get the minerals... not something really beneficial... also how would you get rid of th old power storing batterys? they cant really be destroyed a convetional way.
keep these in mind before you jump to how amazing something amy seem.

[Rain]

Txopu si is right. More research needs to be done regarding the how's and where from's. They like to tell us that something is great, but what they don't tell us is where they get it. Good catch, ma tsmuk.

[Txura Rolyu]

You just have to remember those things and make sure that it doesnt happen for too much longer. 

[El Jacko]

   Personally, I'm going to steer clear of solar...for now. A price of $2 per watt is still significant, as even being frugal the average household will need several kWh per day. Even a small kettle will chew its way through 2kW, which would need $4000 of cells and the right sunlight.
   As well as looking to this as a solution, it's still worth considering that the sun has other effects on the atmosphere, most significantly the wind. Windpower -- onshore or offshore -- can also provide a very large chunk of power (I think the Danish do that...correct me if I'm wrong). Also, there's tidal/wave power, be it in the form of estuary barrages (tidal) or pelamis/duck pontoons (wave); the former gives a very reliable and ultimately predictable level of power, while the latter can provide a large amount while staying out of the way.
   Finally, any idea of this time MUST involve hydro-electric dams. There is no other method of generating power IN THE WORLD that can reach full capacity faster than a hydro dam, and as such they are used whenever there is a spike in power use (e.g. half time in the cup final, ~5:30pm, etc). While admittedly they involve flooding a valley, the benefit they provide is enormous.

[Rain]

Therefore, I believe that the only REAL solution will be to use all thses kinds of energy sources simultaneously, so as not to put too much pressure on the source AND leave room for adjustment. For example, say solar power isn't cutting it but the addition of hydroelectric will help. Use them both at the same time.

There is no ONE solution.

[Nìwotxkrr Tìyawn]

Until efficient nuclear fusion is done with anyway. Once we harness that there is no need for the other types.

[Rain]

Nuclear fusion scares the living Bejesus out of me. Just sayin'.

[Technowraith]

Nice article, Rain.

National Geographic ran an article in it's last issue that just came in july. It's about the US power grid and about energy. It's a good read. If you happen to be in th3e convenience store and see the july issue of national geographic, give the article a read. It's titled "The 21st Century Grid".

Strangely enough, it's not about how much electricity that's being made. It's how it's made. Most non-renewable sources include fossil fuels  like coal, natural gas, etc. Once we use that fuel up it's gone until the earth can naturally make more. But that process takes so long we consider these fuels non-renewable for that reason alone. Renewable sources include hydro-electric, wind and solar. The shift to renewable sources is what the article is stressing. Not necessarily adding more power. that would be a bad thing actually. The power grid is actually a balancing act of supply and demand. You can't simply just keeping adding power. It has to go somewhere. That's why overloads and  power surges happen. When supply and demand are out of whack, infrastructure fails. Anyone who lived in the Northeast region of the United States should remember the Blackout of 2003. That was caused by a power grid overload.

The article talks about new management systems and also the installation of renewable sources like giant solar farms in the desert and tidal generating stations in tidal estuaries. Better energy management will also help. While not 100% focused on solar energy, the article proposed a few new energy technologies:

-Giant solar farms in the deserts, connected to the power grid by long distance transmission lines
-Tidal and hydroelectric power stations
-Compressed air generation systems: a reservoir is filled with compressed air. Releasing the air through a turbine will generate power. To compress the air, a compressor is run during low-demand periods or uses power generated by a wind generator or solar array.
-Using Smart car/electric car batteries as a sort of "collective battery" where electric cars that are plugged in for charging can return a small percentage of their batteries charge back to the power grid during peak demand periods.
-Newer, smart power grid substations and customer meters that can talk to each other that allow for precise energy management. This helps to prevent overloads and infrastructure failures. The new smart meter can even be designed to reduce power consumption during peak demand periods by slightly reducing the power to heavy demand appliances such as fridges and dryers.

Newer technologies are coming out to improve power management and with the push toward renewable sources, it wouldn't be a surprise to see more solar farms and wind farms cropping up.

[Ku'rända]

Unfortunately, because Solar power is not scalable and practical in a large-scale area, I don't think it's going to become the dominant power supply anytime soon.  The largest Solar power plant is used in Area 51:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:72,000_panel_solar_field_at_Nellis_AFB.jpg  And that's not even 25% of the Base's power needs!

And even that's only a few hundred megawatts (354) and is a concentrated  system (they follow the sun's position and are parabolic to get the most out of the energy)  But look how many panels there are?  over 72,000!  gives less than 5Kw per panel (hell, PCs nowadays come at +1Kw power ratings.  Imagine trying to power an entire house!)

On the other hand some wind turbines can produce 25Kw per/unit.

[Technowraith]

It's not outside the realm of possibility to build gargantuan solar farms in the deserts. It would be possible to build 5 or 6 smaller farms and combine their power. then send the power to the grid. Deserts are pretty much nil for real estate. So it would make sense to place a few Solar Collection Superfarms on the outskirts, a few miles from civilization.

But in the long run, better management and conservation will go lightyears toward helping the environment. It's a given that with today's technology, we can not eliminate fossil fuels yet. But as technology continues to advance, more efficient solar cells will be created, as well as more efficient power generations hardware, technology and methods.

[Ku'rända]

Honestly, I think the most viable way to get power is Nuclear Power.  Compared to incinerators, oil, coal, natural gas plants, nuclear power virtually has a zero carbon footpint.

I don't think it's so much technology that's the issue, but the cost.  The most polluting are the cheapest sources of power which make it more viable for countries/communities with little money.

[bommel]

Honestly, I think the most viable way to get power is Nuclear Power.  Compared to incinerators, oil, coal, natural gas plants, nuclear power virtually has a zero carbon footpint.

I don't think it's so much technology that's the issue, but the cost.  The most polluting are the cheapest sources of power which make it more viable for countries/communities with little money.

Well, nuclear power is clean if you handle it right but you have the nuclear waste. And this is a problem for which no solution exists currently.

[Ku'rända]

Honestly, I think the most viable way to get power is Nuclear Power.  Compared to incinerators, oil, coal, natural gas plants, nuclear power virtually has a zero carbon footpint.

I don't think it's so much technology that's the issue, but the cost.  The most polluting are the cheapest sources of power which make it more viable for countries/communities with little money.

Well, nuclear power is clean if you handle it right but you have the nuclear waste. And this is a problem for which no solution exists currently.

Right, you've got to  seal the spent rods for some 20-50 years or so before the uranium's half-lives reduce it to lead.  Still I think the only viable "clean" energy sources right now are Hydroelectric and Nuclear

..Yeah I'm biased to nuclear energy, my dad's a nuclear physicist :B

Some folks in the US are buying personal Wind turbines and solar panels and plugging them in to the grid which ends up charging the wattometer(=P) and ends up charging the electric company to use the generators (technically it's more of a discount since you'd still pay the difference between what you use and what you gain.)

[bommel]

Right, you've got to  seal the spent rods for some 20-50 years or so before the uranium's half-lives reduce it to lead.  Still I think the only viable "clean" energy sources right now are Hydroelectric and Nuclear

..Yeah I'm biased to nuclear energy, my dad's a nuclear physicist :B

20-50 years? That sounds a bit short for me but I'm no physicist... I thought this stuff is radioactive for 1000+ years an they haven't found a place where it is save burrying it yet?

[Ku'rända]

Right, you've got to  seal the spent rods for some 20-50 years or so before the uranium's half-lives reduce it to lead.  Still I think the only viable "clean" energy sources right now are Hydroelectric and Nuclear

..Yeah I'm biased to nuclear energy, my dad's a nuclear physicist :B

20-50 years? That sounds a bit short for me but I'm no physicist... I thought this stuff is radioactive for 1000+ years an they haven't found a place where it is save burrying it yet?

It depends on the type of fuel.  Like Uranium-232 has a Half-life of 10 years.  Thoruim-232 has a half-life of 14 billion years :B  Don't forget it all depends on the radioactivity levels.  I mean you can have   Americium-241 which we *all* have and come in contact with everyday (smoke detectors) have a half-live of 432 years.

We also use depleted uranium for many things (military: armour piercing rounds.  Boats/planes: sound dampening) >_>  rrgh..gotta get back on topic.

VEEND!

[bommel]

So every form of power source has several advantages and disadvantages...
Let's call Mythbusters to check some free energy myths o0

[Ku'rända]

Let's call Mythbusters to check some free energy myths o0

They did that actually :B

Stupid propane tank windmill XD

[bommel]

Stupid propane tank windmill XD

I know. But the Internet may have revealed some new techniques
Or at least a technique to handle the nuclear waste...

In my opinion, solar energy is nice but you can't use it solely because if there is no sun you have no energy. And for storing the energy you need hughe batteries wich I doubt are eco-compatible due to the chemicals...