May 26 2008

The Size of Solar

Today's Gristmill featured a post addressing the argument that solar takes too much space, a common gripe about today's generation of solar technology.

While admittedly imperfect, the side-by-side comparison with coal production engages an interesting discussion -- solar production per square foot is not only cleaner, it yields more energy than coal mining.

For this reason and others, PG&E continues to sign contracts with utility-scale solar thermal power companies like Silicon Valley solar start-up Ausra. Backed by green investor Vinod Khosla and VC firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, Ausra is under contract to build 177 megawatts in solar power plants in central California for PG&E. And, we continue to sign contracts with companies capable of developing and deploying clean energy on this larger utility scale.

This is not to leave distributed solar out of the party. Distributed solar can absolutely provide the same benefits as utility-scale solar and help address some of those pesky size/scale issues that come with sprawling solar farms. While we are still working through the policy and financing kinks of this relatively young industry, PG&E encourages the adoption of distributed solar as a viable clean energy option for customers through the California Solar Initiative (CSI).

So, to those who complain that solar energy is simply too big, I would encourage them to consider the benefits and, perhaps more persuasive -- consider the alternative.

Posted by: Katie Romans | Comments (0) digg delicioussend to a friendprint entry

 

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  • This is being rather generous to Lutz. 1. The "Volt", in no small part, will be targeted as a product to people who care about energy and environmental issues. These people don't embrace Lutz' antideluvian concepts of rejecting science. How responsible is it for a GM executive to be rejecting the science? 2. As well, Lutz didn't exactly sound too enthusiastic about the Volt itself. 3. And, GM public communications has 'defended' Lutz in rather absurd ways. -A Siegel
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  • This article is right on - small businesses have a huge role to play in sustainability. Not only do they add up in aggregate, but many small businesses operate in industries that can have a significant environmental impact depending on the exact practices, like dry cleaners, auto repair shops, etc. Green is also starting to affect the bottom line more and more, customers are increasingly voting with their feet for more sustainable businesses as can be seen from the growth of sites like http://www.ecovian.com. This is also a huge opportunity for small businesses to leapfrog their bigger brothers by being more agile in adopting these measures. -Emily
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  • Great entry, Katie. Love the level of detail you managed to get in there! Probably won't be able to compete with coal and oil any time the next decade, but definitely a great technology to look into! Keep it up :) -Rune (Norway)
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