Comments on: Even Northern Alaska Has Solar Power Potential

By: William Carr

William Carr — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:39:00 +0000

Evacuated tube systems like the picture will boil water in the middle of the winter in Maine.

The key to Solar is remembering that if you get benefit from it ten months a year, it’s a good idea.

The Solar Hot Air collector I’m planning will probably run only a few hours a week in December, but the benefits during the Spring and Fall are going to be nice.

I’m still noodling over a use for super-hot air during July; air conditioning would be ideal but would require quite an investment.

By: newstemp

newstemp — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 22:21:00 +0000

The arcticle (approx. pun intended) only reports that 6 systems are being tested, without reporting any results. “So the next time someone tells you solar power can only work in places with the greatest amounts of sunlight,” tell them that six systems are being tested in Kotzebue, a small village in northern Alaska, and that hopefully at least one of them will work satisfactorily.

By: Ronald Brak

Ronald Brak — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 03:35:00 +0000

And there’s no reason why Alaska and other high latitude places can’t use solar PV. Yes, the panels will have to be at a steep angle, but that will help keep the snow off them.

By: EnergyInsight

EnergyInsight — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 17:44:00 +0000

No surprise that solar works in Alasaka as Germany is the world leader in installed capacity with almost 25,000 megawats and their solar resource is about the equivalent of Alaska. The rest of the US is far richer is solar resources, but has only built one-quarter of that in the Germany (1/16th of Germany on a per capita basis). We need to get with the program.