Solar Power Research Power
Content
Hann 1 Robert Hann Solar Power still Lies in the Shadows We currently live in an age dominated by electricity. Almost every aspect of our daily lives depends on the use of electric appliances and the power provided by electric outlets. From computers to toothbrushes and television to telephones, the tools we use in our daily lives depend on the constant need for power. This was not the case over a century ago. There were no refrigerators, light bulbs, or air conditioners. Within the past hundred years, American society, as well as many other 1st World Societies, has become increasingly dependent on electricity and the means by which they supply it. Unfortunately, this problem isn’t one that we can simply push to the back of our minds as the years go by. The U.S. Department of Energy, in 2006, predicted that the United States’ demand for energy will grow by 53 percent over the next twenty-five years (Glennon 94). More importantly, a study conducted in 2000 estimated that the food industry that feeds the United States accounts for ten percent of the energy used annually in the United States (Heller). Because the United States’ food and livelihood depends so strongly on our energy sources, the country has created one of the largest markets of any good ever created. The electric power industry is responsible for over $300 billion in sales annually in the United States alone (Masters 107). This doesn’t include the enormous amount of money that the government spends annually on foreign oil which has greatly contributed to our nation’s exponentially growing debt. So where does all this energy and electricity come from? The answer is fossil fuels. It is estimated that the burning of fossil fuels such as gas, oil and coal accounts for over 85 percent of all energy produced in the United States. These fuels account for two-thirds of
Hann 2 our electricity and close to all of our transportation (Energy.gov). Unfortunately, this dependency on one natural resource has raised many problems for the United States. Primarily, the availability and security of fossil fuels is beginning to diminish. Amplifying this problem, is the world’s rapidly growing population and increasing modernization. “Presently, the world’s population is nearly 7 billion, and projections are for a global population approaching 10 billion by midcentury” (Foster 1). Both of these factors have caused gasoline and other fossil fuels to rise in price, and worst of all it puts consumers at the mercy of those selling the precious resource. This, over time, will begin to take a taxing toll on the United States’ economy which can ill-afford to fall any further. Another issue facing the use of fossil fuels to produce energy is the serious negative impacts fossil fuels have on global warming, air pollution, deforestation, and even general health (Foster). Fossil fuels are “responsible for three-fourths of U.S. sulfur oxides (SOX) emissions, one-third of our carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions, and one-fourth of particulate matter and toxic heavy metals emissions” (Masters 107). All of these chemicals contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer which further bolsters global warming. The health and global hazards as well as the economic toll that fossil fuels bring to the table have inspired governments and companies around the world to search for solutions to this growing problem. The growing demand that will be caused by a growing population and modernization can only be solved by the introduction of alternative fuels. Renewable sources like solar, wind, and biomass will have to play a major role in the future global energy economy. It will not be adequate enough to improve existing energy networks and techniques to meet the high demand that is just around the corner (Foster).
Hann 3 One of the many solutions being pursued to curb the use of fossil fuels is solar power. Many believe that solar power will be the renewable resource to forever end the use of fossil fuels and solve the energy crisis that will arise in the near future. However, this assumption is slightly misguided and overzealous for the current state of the solar power technology. Solar energy may eventually solve the global energy crisis, but much more time and resources must be invested to improve the technology and to implement the necessary components for such a renewable resource to replace the use of fossil fuels. Solar energy is ironically the life force on Earth for all plants, animals, and people. Plants depend on the sunlight during photosynthesis to grow and flourish. Animals depend on plants for food and nourishment, and people depend on both animals and plants for nourishment. Solar energy is also vital in that it causes heated air which causes wind as well as the evaporation of bodies of water which is manifested as rain. Humans have always depended on solar energy to provide the chain by which we eat, but now people can start to depend on solar energy to provide electricity to their homes. Sunlight is a resource that has no end. It poses no threat to the environment and is readily accessible from almost anywhere on the globe. Thus solar power provides an exciting solution to the impending global energy crisis (Foster). Currently there exist two basic types of solar power systems. The first system is known as the use of photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells function by converting solar radiation into electrical current. A major advantage to the use of photovoltaic cells is that photovoltaic systems can be built in stages. More and more cells can be added to a system with ease after it has already been built, and cells can be removed if necessary as well. Because of the ease and accessibility in installing this system, photovoltaic systems appeal
Hann 4 to private residents as well as many private companies. Despite the many benefits of photovoltaic systems, they have a major downfall. Currently photovoltaic cells are unable to store the energy that they produce. The energy must be used immediately after being converted from sunlight. Thus, during poor weather and especially at night, photovoltaic cells are useless because of their inability to store their energy (Glennon). The second type of solar technology is known as CSP or concentrating solar power. Unlike the photovoltaic cells that are practical for residential and commercial use, CSP is practical on the utility-scale. This is because CSP allows for thermal storage so that even after the sun has set, power can be accessed and used. However, concentrating solar power too has a downfall. CSP plants utilize a steam cycle to generate electricity just as a coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants do. The only difference is that CSP uses the sun’s heat instead of the burning of fossil fuels to move the steam cycle along. This is where the problem lies. Steam cycles require water. The majority of the water is not actually utilized in the steam itself, but instead enormous amounts of water must be used to cool the steam after it has been converted to steam. This will cause many problems because like fossil fuels, water is a limited resource on this planet. Unfortunately, on the scale that CSP plants would have to produce energy to fully supplement the use of fossil fuels would require a large majority of the world’s water supply. This issue becomes a vicious circle. Water treatment and transportation requires extreme amounts of energy which could be provided by solar power. Ironically, the solar power depends on the treatment and transportation of water. Thus the water provided to the CSP system is offset by the energy used to make the water available to the solar power. In fact, “the roughly 60,000 water systems and 15,000
Hann 5 wastewater systems in the United States use about three percent of the nation’s electricity to deliver and treat water and wastewater” (Glennon 95). Another issue involving both photovoltaic systems and concentrating solar power systems is the considerable land use issue. Ideally, utility-scale solar power plants would be located in places that receive sunlight for the majority of the year such as deserts. At first glance, deserts seem to be perfect solutions. Land in the desert is cheap, and no one would be bothered by massive fields of solar panels stretching over land where very few people live. Unfortunately, because of the immense heat and lack of water, people tend to live far away from deserts. This poses a problem on how to transport the electricity to cities or other highly-populated areas. It would require the large-scale and expensive upgrade of existing transmission lines to transport the energy from plant to home (Glennon). This problem also becomes amplified in undeveloped third world countries. The cost to bring utility-scale power to nonelectrified villages through transmission lines would be beyond expensive. This is because of the significantly smaller amounts of energy that the villages use compared to those in developed countries. There is also a distance variable that makes transportation of energy more complicated. Many third-world villages are located in difficult terrain that far from existing grids of companies thus making the transportation of the energy much more expensive (Foster). Another dilemma that arises from a location in the desert is the lack of natural water. This lack of water would make it extremely difficult and expensive to maintain and operate a CSP plant (Glennon). Not only is the implementation of solar power facing practical problems, but it also faces huge economic woes as well. The production and growing technology of photovoltaic cells has increased quite a bit in recent years. This has caused costs for installing systems to
Hann 6 drop as the demand has skyrocketed. However, photovoltaic solar power is not yet economically practical at a utility scale. Energy created by fossil fuels, even as their availability dwindles and their prices rise, is still significantly cheaper than the cost of photovoltaic systems. For instance “it costs Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP), 3 ½ to 4 ½ cents per kilowatt-hour for energy produced in its coal-fired plants; PV systems cost 16 to 18 ½ cents per kilowatt-hour” (Glennon 106). CSP systems may be economically viable, but as of now, no utility-scale CSP projects have ever been built. Regardless, it will still be difficult for CSP systems to compete with the price of fossil fuel energy (Glennon). Despite the economic hardships that solar power technology is facing, governments around the world have shown quite a large interest in pursuing solar power and finding ways to make it more economically feasible. Many countries such as Brazil, India, Central America, South Africa, and Mexico have begun to pursue stand-alone solar energy systems. These stand-alone systems have many benefits. Stand-alone systems are extremely cost-effective in that the energy does not have to be transported hundreds of miles to remote places because the systems “stand-alone” and are not connected to the main energy grid of the company. This eliminates the need to waste money on the transportation of energy. These stand-alone systems can effectively provide small levels of power for lighting, communication, water pumping, refrigerators, and any other tools that would benefit the livelihood of rural people. These stand alone systems all utilized photovoltaic technology (Foster). The United States government has also taken an interest in solar energy as well as alternative renewable resources by which to feed the growing thirst for energy. It has done this on the federal level by subsidizing solar energy, primarily through the American
Hann 7 Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The United States government has also supported the implementation of solar energy on the state level through state legislatures offering inducements to implement solar energy at both the utility and residential scale. Many states have adopted renewable portfolio standards that require utility companies to supply a percentage of their energy through renewable resources instead of depending solely on fossil fuels. Renewable portfolio standards are also being pursued at the federal level. Congress has met for the fifth consecutive session to establish a national renewable portfolio standard. Local governments have even stepped in and created incentives for citizens and utility companies to install solar power technology. For example “in 2005, Tuscon, Arizona began to award permit fee reimbursements of up to $1000 for builders who install approved solar energy systems” (Glennon 93). Another way the United States Government has shown an interest in producing renewable energy is through its various military installations in the U.S Department of Defense. Many air force bases including Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, Luke Aif Force Base near Phoenix, and Davis Monthan air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona have built and implemented their own solar power systems in order to provide for their power needs. The Department of Defense as well as the United States government has obviously displayed interest in pursuing and supporting renewable resources such as solar energy (Glennon). This type of support is vital to the success of the solar power energy to grow and nourish to a point where it is economically feasible to pursue in replace of fossil fuels. Currently, solar power is in no position to eradicate the burning of fossil fuels in providing electricity to the world. The technology behind solar power is no where near where it needs to be for utility-scale solar power plants to be effective or efficient in
Hann 8 producing electricity. Both photovoltaic systems and CSP systems have pitfalls that need to be fixed before implemented in the world on a large scale. In addition to the technological issues surrounding the current state of solar energy, solar power is not yet economically efficient enough to pursue. The price for solar energy is too high to compete with fossil fuels at its current state. Until the technology is improved and solar energy becomes economically reasonable, solar power is not yet ready to overtake the use of fossil fuels and tackle the global energy crisis. However, that is not to say that solar power will not play a role in the implementation of renewable energy sources in the future. Over time, the technology will improve and the price will fall as competition increases shedding further light on solar power’s not so cloudy future.
Hann 9 Works Cited "Energy.gov." Fossil. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://energy.gov/science-innovation/energysources/fossil>. Foster, Robert, Majid Ghassemi, and Alma Cota. Solar Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment. Boca Raton: CRC, 2010. Print. Glennon, Robert, and Andrew M. Reeves. "Solar Energy's Cloudy Future." ARIZONA JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY 01.01 (2010): 92-137. Web Heller, Martin C., and Gregory A. Keoleian. Life Cycle-Based Sustainability Indicators for Assessment of the U.S. Food System. Ann Arbor, MI: Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan, 2000: 42. Masters, Gilbert M. (2004). Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems.. Wiley IEEE Press.
Hann 2 our electricity and close to all of our transportation (Energy.gov). Unfortunately, this dependency on one natural resource has raised many problems for the United States. Primarily, the availability and security of fossil fuels is beginning to diminish. Amplifying this problem, is the world’s rapidly growing population and increasing modernization. “Presently, the world’s population is nearly 7 billion, and projections are for a global population approaching 10 billion by midcentury” (Foster 1). Both of these factors have caused gasoline and other fossil fuels to rise in price, and worst of all it puts consumers at the mercy of those selling the precious resource. This, over time, will begin to take a taxing toll on the United States’ economy which can ill-afford to fall any further. Another issue facing the use of fossil fuels to produce energy is the serious negative impacts fossil fuels have on global warming, air pollution, deforestation, and even general health (Foster). Fossil fuels are “responsible for three-fourths of U.S. sulfur oxides (SOX) emissions, one-third of our carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions, and one-fourth of particulate matter and toxic heavy metals emissions” (Masters 107). All of these chemicals contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer which further bolsters global warming. The health and global hazards as well as the economic toll that fossil fuels bring to the table have inspired governments and companies around the world to search for solutions to this growing problem. The growing demand that will be caused by a growing population and modernization can only be solved by the introduction of alternative fuels. Renewable sources like solar, wind, and biomass will have to play a major role in the future global energy economy. It will not be adequate enough to improve existing energy networks and techniques to meet the high demand that is just around the corner (Foster).
Hann 3 One of the many solutions being pursued to curb the use of fossil fuels is solar power. Many believe that solar power will be the renewable resource to forever end the use of fossil fuels and solve the energy crisis that will arise in the near future. However, this assumption is slightly misguided and overzealous for the current state of the solar power technology. Solar energy may eventually solve the global energy crisis, but much more time and resources must be invested to improve the technology and to implement the necessary components for such a renewable resource to replace the use of fossil fuels. Solar energy is ironically the life force on Earth for all plants, animals, and people. Plants depend on the sunlight during photosynthesis to grow and flourish. Animals depend on plants for food and nourishment, and people depend on both animals and plants for nourishment. Solar energy is also vital in that it causes heated air which causes wind as well as the evaporation of bodies of water which is manifested as rain. Humans have always depended on solar energy to provide the chain by which we eat, but now people can start to depend on solar energy to provide electricity to their homes. Sunlight is a resource that has no end. It poses no threat to the environment and is readily accessible from almost anywhere on the globe. Thus solar power provides an exciting solution to the impending global energy crisis (Foster). Currently there exist two basic types of solar power systems. The first system is known as the use of photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells function by converting solar radiation into electrical current. A major advantage to the use of photovoltaic cells is that photovoltaic systems can be built in stages. More and more cells can be added to a system with ease after it has already been built, and cells can be removed if necessary as well. Because of the ease and accessibility in installing this system, photovoltaic systems appeal
Hann 4 to private residents as well as many private companies. Despite the many benefits of photovoltaic systems, they have a major downfall. Currently photovoltaic cells are unable to store the energy that they produce. The energy must be used immediately after being converted from sunlight. Thus, during poor weather and especially at night, photovoltaic cells are useless because of their inability to store their energy (Glennon). The second type of solar technology is known as CSP or concentrating solar power. Unlike the photovoltaic cells that are practical for residential and commercial use, CSP is practical on the utility-scale. This is because CSP allows for thermal storage so that even after the sun has set, power can be accessed and used. However, concentrating solar power too has a downfall. CSP plants utilize a steam cycle to generate electricity just as a coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants do. The only difference is that CSP uses the sun’s heat instead of the burning of fossil fuels to move the steam cycle along. This is where the problem lies. Steam cycles require water. The majority of the water is not actually utilized in the steam itself, but instead enormous amounts of water must be used to cool the steam after it has been converted to steam. This will cause many problems because like fossil fuels, water is a limited resource on this planet. Unfortunately, on the scale that CSP plants would have to produce energy to fully supplement the use of fossil fuels would require a large majority of the world’s water supply. This issue becomes a vicious circle. Water treatment and transportation requires extreme amounts of energy which could be provided by solar power. Ironically, the solar power depends on the treatment and transportation of water. Thus the water provided to the CSP system is offset by the energy used to make the water available to the solar power. In fact, “the roughly 60,000 water systems and 15,000
Hann 5 wastewater systems in the United States use about three percent of the nation’s electricity to deliver and treat water and wastewater” (Glennon 95). Another issue involving both photovoltaic systems and concentrating solar power systems is the considerable land use issue. Ideally, utility-scale solar power plants would be located in places that receive sunlight for the majority of the year such as deserts. At first glance, deserts seem to be perfect solutions. Land in the desert is cheap, and no one would be bothered by massive fields of solar panels stretching over land where very few people live. Unfortunately, because of the immense heat and lack of water, people tend to live far away from deserts. This poses a problem on how to transport the electricity to cities or other highly-populated areas. It would require the large-scale and expensive upgrade of existing transmission lines to transport the energy from plant to home (Glennon). This problem also becomes amplified in undeveloped third world countries. The cost to bring utility-scale power to nonelectrified villages through transmission lines would be beyond expensive. This is because of the significantly smaller amounts of energy that the villages use compared to those in developed countries. There is also a distance variable that makes transportation of energy more complicated. Many third-world villages are located in difficult terrain that far from existing grids of companies thus making the transportation of the energy much more expensive (Foster). Another dilemma that arises from a location in the desert is the lack of natural water. This lack of water would make it extremely difficult and expensive to maintain and operate a CSP plant (Glennon). Not only is the implementation of solar power facing practical problems, but it also faces huge economic woes as well. The production and growing technology of photovoltaic cells has increased quite a bit in recent years. This has caused costs for installing systems to
Hann 6 drop as the demand has skyrocketed. However, photovoltaic solar power is not yet economically practical at a utility scale. Energy created by fossil fuels, even as their availability dwindles and their prices rise, is still significantly cheaper than the cost of photovoltaic systems. For instance “it costs Tucson Electric Power Company (TEP), 3 ½ to 4 ½ cents per kilowatt-hour for energy produced in its coal-fired plants; PV systems cost 16 to 18 ½ cents per kilowatt-hour” (Glennon 106). CSP systems may be economically viable, but as of now, no utility-scale CSP projects have ever been built. Regardless, it will still be difficult for CSP systems to compete with the price of fossil fuel energy (Glennon). Despite the economic hardships that solar power technology is facing, governments around the world have shown quite a large interest in pursuing solar power and finding ways to make it more economically feasible. Many countries such as Brazil, India, Central America, South Africa, and Mexico have begun to pursue stand-alone solar energy systems. These stand-alone systems have many benefits. Stand-alone systems are extremely cost-effective in that the energy does not have to be transported hundreds of miles to remote places because the systems “stand-alone” and are not connected to the main energy grid of the company. This eliminates the need to waste money on the transportation of energy. These stand-alone systems can effectively provide small levels of power for lighting, communication, water pumping, refrigerators, and any other tools that would benefit the livelihood of rural people. These stand alone systems all utilized photovoltaic technology (Foster). The United States government has also taken an interest in solar energy as well as alternative renewable resources by which to feed the growing thirst for energy. It has done this on the federal level by subsidizing solar energy, primarily through the American
Hann 7 Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The United States government has also supported the implementation of solar energy on the state level through state legislatures offering inducements to implement solar energy at both the utility and residential scale. Many states have adopted renewable portfolio standards that require utility companies to supply a percentage of their energy through renewable resources instead of depending solely on fossil fuels. Renewable portfolio standards are also being pursued at the federal level. Congress has met for the fifth consecutive session to establish a national renewable portfolio standard. Local governments have even stepped in and created incentives for citizens and utility companies to install solar power technology. For example “in 2005, Tuscon, Arizona began to award permit fee reimbursements of up to $1000 for builders who install approved solar energy systems” (Glennon 93). Another way the United States Government has shown an interest in producing renewable energy is through its various military installations in the U.S Department of Defense. Many air force bases including Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, Luke Aif Force Base near Phoenix, and Davis Monthan air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona have built and implemented their own solar power systems in order to provide for their power needs. The Department of Defense as well as the United States government has obviously displayed interest in pursuing and supporting renewable resources such as solar energy (Glennon). This type of support is vital to the success of the solar power energy to grow and nourish to a point where it is economically feasible to pursue in replace of fossil fuels. Currently, solar power is in no position to eradicate the burning of fossil fuels in providing electricity to the world. The technology behind solar power is no where near where it needs to be for utility-scale solar power plants to be effective or efficient in
Hann 8 producing electricity. Both photovoltaic systems and CSP systems have pitfalls that need to be fixed before implemented in the world on a large scale. In addition to the technological issues surrounding the current state of solar energy, solar power is not yet economically efficient enough to pursue. The price for solar energy is too high to compete with fossil fuels at its current state. Until the technology is improved and solar energy becomes economically reasonable, solar power is not yet ready to overtake the use of fossil fuels and tackle the global energy crisis. However, that is not to say that solar power will not play a role in the implementation of renewable energy sources in the future. Over time, the technology will improve and the price will fall as competition increases shedding further light on solar power’s not so cloudy future.
Hann 9 Works Cited "Energy.gov." Fossil. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. <http://energy.gov/science-innovation/energysources/fossil>. Foster, Robert, Majid Ghassemi, and Alma Cota. Solar Energy: Renewable Energy and the Environment. Boca Raton: CRC, 2010. Print. Glennon, Robert, and Andrew M. Reeves. "Solar Energy's Cloudy Future." ARIZONA JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY 01.01 (2010): 92-137. Web Heller, Martin C., and Gregory A. Keoleian. Life Cycle-Based Sustainability Indicators for Assessment of the U.S. Food System. Ann Arbor, MI: Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan, 2000: 42. Masters, Gilbert M. (2004). Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems.. Wiley IEEE Press.
