PV Gap

Renee Said:

Why don't they build acres and acres of Solar panels to Supply power to the US?

We Answered:

One reason is the amount of land taken up. As the questioner pointed out... "acres and acres" of land would be needed. Open land (what there is left of it) is needed for crops (read: FOOD) for forests (read: CARBON SINK --and human sanity!), for habitat for animals and birds. (For an eye opener do some research on how many bugs we'd have if we didn't have birds -- O! M! G! Without lots of birds, we will either drown in hordes of insects or in toxic chemicals trying to kill the insects, and end up killing ourselves instead.)

Even in the desert, habitat is destroyed by building acres and acres of solar panels, then you still have the inefficiency and huge cost of the transmission lines to get that power to where it's wanted. Even the more-efficient parabolic reflector method takes up a lot of space, and still requires the large -- and ugly -- transmission towers marching across miles and miles of the countryside.

As was pointed out by others, solar makes more sense when done by individuals or small groups.

Now think of all the rooftop space in cities! You have people living and working directly under a possible site for solar panels. The panels would also create shade that would lessen the cooling needs of the same buildings. In Europe I understand there are cities and towns where almost every roof has solar panels. That is space that is NOT habitat or used for crops! (Except some buildings' rooftops are now being used for rooftop gardens for FOOD! Another creative and wonderful idea!)

Solar could be just one answer. There will be many answers. Some large-scale, some done individually-- home by home, building by building. But huge solar "farms" probably are not going to be a final answer.

Wind towers take up a lot of space too. They make noise that, if close to a home, is considered by many to be quite objectionable. The towers are huge, the blades are huge. They often kill birds that try to fly past. If you think it's ok to kill birds, read up on the status of many bird species (declining), and where we'll be insect-wise if we lose too many of our birds!

Wind turbine towers need to be very carefully sited in order to catch the winds, but not sited on the birds' flyways. And of course they are very often the same, because birds use consistent wind current flows during migration to be able to travel so far without using as much of their own energy. Consistent wind currents are what the wind towers need also. There is a new design that is shaped different, more like a thick vertical tube, that operates something like the "squirrel-cage" fan, as opposed to a "blade" fan. These could be safer for birds. I do not know enough about them (yet) to say any more.

Wind power would need the same miles and miles of inefficient transmission lines as solar power needs when done in large "wind farms." Even if an individual puts up a wind turbine, he/she will have to deal with huge batteries (I saw one installation that had a 2- or 3-car garage-sized building for the batteries) and they'll also need transmission lines to get the power to their own home, even if it's nearby.

I personally don't like the wind towers on the landscape. They're very tall, much taller than they look in pictures. I also know that we need, NEED the birds to keep insect populations down, if for no other reason!

Conservation (just plain using less) almost always is the most efficient way to save energy. That comes first. Do everything you can to simplify your lifestyle. Insulate and tighten your home; turn the heat down a bit in the winter, and the cooling up a bit in the summer. Drive less, share rides, drive slower, choose a fuel-efficient vehicle, and keep it well-maintained. Don't do it alone, do it all with friends: compare notes, check how you're doing. Make it a group or neighborhood thing. Don't think of it as a YOYO (You're On Your Own) project; it's for all of us to do, and it's easier when done together.

Marvin Said:

how can I build a miniature solar panel to power a light bulb?

We Answered:

Light bulb requires more current that make the size of solar cells panel quite big and very expensive. You may choose a LED to do the same lighting experiment.
Buy 4 solar cells,hook them up in series. It produces 2 volts or less depending on the light source. Choose the solar cell
able to provide 10ma or more. Choose any small size of LED, red LED is the best choice, Make sure it is the 1.6 volt
3 to 6 ma type. Do not use the lazer LED,it requires 3 volts and more current rate. Connect cell output positive to the LED anode. Negative to the cathod. put it under the sun,LED shall light up.

Jonathan Said:

Are solar panels cheaper than wind turbines?

We Answered:

yes

Bradley Said:

Can't we just build a giant solar power panel over the Artic to not just give us energy but take some heat too

We Answered:

yes... and no...

first off realize the arctic ice doesn't absorb much heat... ice is a GREAT reflector.. so any heat you absorb would be minimal.. mainly you would be blocking reflected sunshine.. and we really don't know much about what the atmosphere/planet does with energy on the way back out..

SECOND solar panels are EXPENSIVE... i mean REALLY expensive.. so building one that size with currant tech would cost a ON of cash..

next you have the problem of getting the electricity from the arctic circle to somewhere it can be used... energy transported over a wire generates heat (current squared times the resistance of the wire).. heat from the wire would offset any gains from the solar panels and would probably exceed it...

third you have the incredibly high cost of construction in the arctic circle.. building and maintaining a power station there would be prohibitively expensive..

add in treaties to not develop the arctic.. (prove to china we aren't hiding missiles under there) and the challenge of getting Greenpeace and companies buy off and it is a political nightmare no one wants to tackle.