Comments on: World's Largest Solar Thermal Plant (340MW) Planned for Arizona

By: Giant $1.4 Billion Solar Project Will Almost Double Total U.S. Capacity from 2010 – CleanTechnica: Cleantech innovation news and views

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:54:07 +0000

[...] What makes the program unique compared to other big solar programs is that instead of focusing on one giant standalone solar installation, Project Amp uses a distributed energy model involving 750 existing rooftops.Standalone Solar [...]

By: levi

levi — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 08:28:36 +0000

regardless, solar thermal is renewable and nuclear power isn’t, plus nuclear power plants dont last for that long unlike there DU that is going to stay radioactive some 4+ billion years

By: Karl A.

Karl A. — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 07:32:45 +0000

All the companies that were building nuclear power plants in countries such as Spain have already retooled to build solar thermal plants. A nuclear power station takes 9 to 10 years to build and bring into operation – construction of a solar thermal plant is usually completed and the plant starts producing power inside one year. Nuclear power plants are massively expensive to build and politically risky on account of how nobody wants to live anywhere near them. They have significant environmental risk factors attached to them, including discharge of radioactive materials either accidentally, or in the case of a terrorist attack, intentionally, plus the question of what to do with the radioactive waste they generate? Furthermore, the economy figures given for nuclear power plants in terms of power production versus dollars spent are grossly skewed by the generous handouts that the federal government gives to the nuclear industry. You guys really still want to build more nuclear power plants? They’re as out of date as the steam engine. Solar is here to stay; the advances that have been made in storage of the heat energy captured to enable production of steam to drive turbines 24/7 means that all the old BS about solar only being viable during daylight hours is so far out of date it’s not funny.

By: Camel Power Meets Solar Power in Africa : CleanTechnica

Camel Power Meets Solar Power in Africa : CleanTechnica — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:14:28 +0000

[...] Utility-scale solar projects are fast becoming the norm, but it’s also important to remember that small-scale, portable solar can make a huge difference in areas of the world that are not grid-connected now, and will not be for many years into the future. [...]

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:19:50 +0000

Nuclear – simply not well enough developed to be realistic! Fission still yields toxic waste problem! Fuel still required! Decommissioning of sites still a deep conundrum!Limited life of plants! Solar – Perpetual, free, fuel source! No dangerous wastes produced! Clean! Safe! Expandable! Flexible! Room for modifications as they come along! and most of all, The American Southwest has lots of it, for free! If you still think Nuclear is the answer, remember: a Uranium Cartel has bought up all the good mines in the whole world! and they intend price fixing on the same scale as OPEC, and await our investment in this with baited breath! They will push fuel prices to the max, so they and their ilk can live on easy street! Diamonds – same story! Gold, gobbled up by bigger groups! Oil, see OPEC, Do we need to be raped again? My brown spot still chaffed by high oil prices! I think not! The rotten bastards can hardly buy up the sun, the wind, the tides, now can they! We must however be constantly vigilant of patent laws, the one grip they may get on the situation! To verify that “they” exist, and really do play this game, look for the movie, free on this net in some places, “Who Killed The Electric Car” , it clearly illustrates large corporate interests over the public good, and shows a perfectly good solution to smog, and gasoline prices deliberately manipulated out of the publics reach by big corporate interests! This is not my personal fantasy, but a corporatist American reality! Nuclear is “corporately controlled” already and a damnation to America, Solar however, to date, is still free!

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:19:00 +0000

By: David Dobbs

David Dobbs — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:30:50 +0000

There is a potential for distilled water blowing of the end of this type of power plant. In a dry state like AZ WTF are these short sighted people thinking? Blowing all that FRESH WATER back into the air! Build a capture facility to sale fresh water too!!!!

By: David Dobbs

David Dobbs — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:30:00 +0000

By: David Dobbs

David Dobbs — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:30:00 +0000

By: Pojus Mann

Pojus Mann — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:05:00 +0000

I am a neophyte in the solar thermal power technology. I am trying to do some feasibility studies for a 20 MW plant in northern Ghana (West Africa) with insolation figures of about 5.5 kWh/m2-day, how can a better choice of it’s capacity factor be figured out?