China now claims “world’s largest” with solar plan
Funny, seems anybody these days can claim they’re going to build the world’s largest solar power station. The latest claim comes out of China, which says it will build a 100-megawatt solar generating facility over the next five years at a cost of $766 million (U.S.).
And what about Australia’s claim of a 154-megawatt station? Or the 300-megawatt project being explored in New Mexico? What’s the criteria these days to claim “world’s largest”? Until we see any of these projects break ground, I’d consider them for what they are: PR.
That said, if such projects are serious and we keep seeing more of them announced, this industry indeed has a bright future. These massive projects will also go a long way in bringing down the cost of solar to everyone’s benefit.
Tyler Hamilton is editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and a business columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper.
November 22nd, 2006 at 8:17 pm
It really does make you question what we’re trying to do with renewable energy–are these projects really thought out (given intermittency, etc) as viable steps toward a truly carbon-free energy system? Or are they just a sort of national prestige place? China wanted the Olympics to announce its arrival on the international scene. Is this project just the 2006 version of that? Their plans to add new coal plants and to put a car in every driveway seem much better developped than their plans for renewables, despite the impressive size of some of their installations.
The fact is that we can announce new projects all we want, but no country (except Sweden?) has put together a serious and viable roadmap to actually *eliminating* carbon emmissions. (Several NGOs have, but its hard to know how seriously to take them.) Are all these announcements really the first steps to a renewable future, or are we just randomly throwing solar panels at a problem we haven’t really grasped yet?
Does anyone out there know the way forward?
November 23rd, 2006 at 4:51 am
As I see it, there’s one way forward. And that’s leadership.
It comes in to -enacting- versions:
– external, as referred to by Calcars’ Felix Cramer (somewhere on http://www.calcars.org/audio-video.html) and Worldwatch Inst. Lester Brown (http://www.big-picture.tv/index.php?id=62&cat=&a=149)
– internal, as can be seen at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integral_thought and Deepak Chopra (http://www.big-picture.tv/index.php?id=53&cat=&a=119)
When it gets to delivering what’s needed, every other way I’ve turned this brain and heart boggling phenomenon (in my PhD-research into transitions towards RES), I’ve come up with a dead end.
Closest I got is with https://ep.eur.nl/bitstream/1765/7629/1/drift-2006-003.pdf
Emil M
November 23rd, 2006 at 6:08 am
When we’re ready: CSP (http://www.solarpaces.org/csp_docs.htm) becomes an obvious choice.
All reports, including http://www.gezen.nl/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/gcreader-talkknies.pdf indicate that it’s expedient to start now. Imagine: an area equal to Belgium, Luxemburg and Netherlands in the North Sahara would suffice for RES for all of Europe. When integrated in mix with other RES-sources (wind, geo thermal, hydro, bio mass), this could entice China, India, Brazil, Russia and perhaps the US to follow suit.
The superior all electric transport option, becomes even more viable. See http://www.carlist.com/video/bob_lutz/, http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/classifieds/automotive/16018943.htm
For mobile applications, forget the h2 route (as I see it, too convenient for big oil to be seen promoted without suspicion) and look at methanol > http://www.euractiv.com/en/transport/hydrogen-fuel-cells-fake-promises/article-159235?, http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/Supppage4673.html, http://www.efcf.com/reports/
Combine this with ideas on a bio based future for Canada (http://cbac-cccb.ca/epic/internet/incbac-cccb.nsf/vwapj/BSDE%20Executive%20Report%20-%20ENGLISH.pdf/$file/BSDE%20Executive%20Report%20-%20ENGLISH.pdf and http://www.cfr.washington.edu/research.Forest_Energy/projects/Andreu_2005_WA_Senate_5883_files/frame.htm
Technically, logistically, financially, economically, ecologically viable and implementable now.
Leadership can unleash this potential.
November 23rd, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Talking about energy for the 21st century and beyond, what else is out there beside the sun with its 125,000 TW of global incident irradiation? Those 100 MWp projects here and there are late awakening projects. I hope they come not too late.
December 1st, 2006 at 7:06 am
Don’t forget the 500 MW and 300 MW solar stirling farms in California. They surpass all the projects mentioned here (China, New Mexico, and Australia) both in terms of size and how far along they are.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,69528-0.html
December 2nd, 2006 at 5:03 am
Right, and now scale up & power those Mini’s ! and the rest of our coming all electric society (if we dare).
Example: an area with CSP the size of Belgium, Luxemburg and Netherlands in the North Sahara (suffices for RES for 500 mln people (the EU). Technically, logistically, financially, economically viable.
Leadershipwise, ehh, rather problematic
In the mean time, don’t forget to ride your bike though. Good for people, planet and profit.
Emil M