Solar Panels by the Square Mile in California - Dot Earth - Climate Change and Sustainability - New York Times Blog

Solar Panels by the Square Mile in California - Dot Earth - Climate Change and Sustainability - New York Times Blog: "August 14, 2008, 6:37 pm
Solar Panels by the Square Mile in California

By Andrew C. Revkin

August 14, 2008, 6:37 pm
Solar Panels by the Square Mile in California

By Andrew C. Revkin

Matthew Wald has just written a news article showing the power of a guaranteed market to bring about large-scale construction of energy technologies that currently cannot compete with the status quo. Two photovoltaic power plants, in essence, are going to be built in California, covering a total of 12.5 square miles and amounting to 800 megawatts of generating capacity (although remember that the peak is only hit for a small portion of the day).

Here’s the top of Matt’s article:

Two California companies said Thursday that they would each build solar power plants that were 10 times bigger than the largest now in service, creating the first true utility-scale use of a technology now mostly confined to rooftop supplements to conventional power supplies.

The solar power will be sold to Pacific Gas and Electric, which is under a state mandate to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010. The utility said that it expected the plants, both using photovoltaic technology, which turns sunlight directly into electricity, would be competitive with other renewable sources, including wind and solar thermal, which uses the sun’s heat to boil water. Solar power is more costly than wind, watt for watt, experts say, but delivers the energy at a time of day when electricity prices are higher and is more valuable even if it is more costly.

Photovoltaics eventually would need to be as cheap as paint or roof shingles to begin to make a serious dent in coal burning, many experts say. Other ways to harvest sunlight, including solar thermal plants, are already close to competitive but restricted to areas with clear skies most of the year. But it is hard not to be impressed by the announcement today, if only because of the scale of the plans.