Although we in the US don't hear about it very often, other countries are building some spectacular solar power plants...
Of the top 50 Solar PV plants in the world, US is #9! (
Germany has 4 in the top 10--how far we have fallen)
http://www.sunenergysite.eu/en/top50pv.php
Coordinates: 39°37′43″N 02°04′37″W
Spain: The Olmedilla Photovoltaic Park is a large photovoltaic power plant in Olmedilla de Alarcón, Spain. When completed in July 2008, it was the world's largest photovoltaic power plant. The plant uses more than 270,000 solar photovoltaic panels to generate 60 megawatts (peak). It produces enough electricity to power more than 40,000 homes. Construction of the plant cost €384 million (US$530 million).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmedilla_Photovoltaic_Park
Coordinates: 51°34′07″N 13°44′15″E
Germany: Not exactly known for sunny days--The Finsterwalde Solar Park is as of November 2010 the world’s largest photovoltaic plant with 80.7 MWp. The project is located in Finsterwalde, Germany and is equipped with Q-Cells modules and LDK solar wafers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finsterwalde_Solar_Park
Coordinates: 42°56′16″N 82°20′30″W
Canada: Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant near Sarnia, Ontario in Canada, is as of September 2010 the world's largest photovoltaic plant with an installed capacity of 80 MW
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarnia_Photovoltaic_Power_Plant
Coordinates: 51°19′N 12°39′E
Germany again: Waldpolenz Solar Park, which was the world’s largest thin-film photovoltaic (PV) power system at that time, was built by German developer and operator Juwi at a former military air base to the east of Leipzig in Germany. The power plant is a 40 MW solar power system using state-of-the-art thin film technology,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldpolenz_Solar_Park
Coordinates: 38°40′30″N 04°09′05″W
Spain: The Puertollano Photovoltaic Park is the fourth largest photovoltaic power station in the world, with a nominal capacity of 47.6 MW. The facility is located in Puertollano, Spain
10 or 12 of these 80 MW plants equal one average Dirty Nuke Plant that takes 10 years before a shovel hits the ground and costs big bucks for many years after it's shut down--
"What is the average output MW of a nuclear power plant?"
"As of 2007, worldwide there were 439 operational nuclear reactors with total capacity of 372,002
MW; making the average output 846 MW. However, the average new reactor can be expected to be larger."
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_output_MW_of_a_nuclear_power_plant
Photovoltaic SUDI shade is an autonomous and mobile station in France that replenishes energy for electric vehicles using solar energy.
Although it's a different technology, here's a solution to storage and getting energy at night:
"In 1995 Solar One was converted into Solar Two,.. Solar Two used molten salt, a combination of 60% sodium nitrate and 40% potassium nitrate, as an energy storage medium instead of oil or water as with Solar One. This helped in energy storage during brief interruptions in sunlight due to clouds. The molten salt also allowed the energy to be stored in large tanks for future use such as night time - Solar Two had sufficient capacity to continue running for up to three hours after the sun had set..."
"This technology has been successfully demonstrated and is ready for commercialization. From 1994 to 1999, the Solar Two project demonstrated the ability of solar molten salt technology to provide long-term, cost effective thermal energy storage for electricity generation."- Boeing
Here's what we are going to get from Obama:
"...Obama's budget for 2011 is filled with peculiarities. There are a few primary points of interest when it comes to energy...perhaps most surprisingly, over $54 billion for nuclear power. That's up almost $20 billion from the year before. The move expands from $36 billion to $54.5 billion the amount of loan guarantees the federal government is willing to award nuclear power projects. But why? Why expand nuclear loan guarantees--which weren't even capitalized on last year--when the budget is already, as everyone and their mother knows, strapped for cash?.."
http://www.treehugger.com/corporate...llion-for-nuclear-power-in-obamas-budget.html
One day every major media outlet in the US (except pbs) simply stopped talking about Fukushima. Why?
"...Obama’s two top White House aides, meanwhile, had been deeply involved with what is now the utility operating more nuclear power plants than any other in the U.S., Exelon. Rahm Emanuel, his chief of staff, was as an investment banker central to the $8.2 billion corporate merger in 1999 that produced Exelon. David Axelrod, senior advisor and chief political strategist, was an Exelon PR consultant. Candidate Obama received sizeable contributions from Exelon executives including John Rowe, its president and chief executive officer who, in 2007, also became chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the nuclear industry’s main trade group..."
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/03/31-1
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