Colorado Solar Powered
Filed in archive Renewable Energy , Solar , US on April 18, 2006

Colorado - Xcel energy... began soliciting bids for a photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant that will be located in Colorado's San Luis Valley to produce about 13,700-megawatt hours of electricity a year. Xcel Press Release
Here are some of the bid numbers, Xcel's bid request is based on the fact that Colorado's Renewable Energy Standard requires that for 2007 through 2010 three percent of annual retail electric sales must come from renewable energy resources, for 2011 through 2014 six percent and for 2015 and after 10 percent. The standard also requires that four percent of all Renewable Energy must come from solar generation. Summarized for 2007 through 2010:
3% of All Energy from Renewable Energy Resources
4% of Renewable Resources must be Solar
0.12% Total Solar Colorado Power for 2007-2010 or 13,700 MWhrs
To meet the 0.12% requirement knowing that solar panel generation will degrade over time, the first year panel output specification has been raised by 25% to 1,715 MWhrs. The other part of Colorado's Standard requires an additional 13,700 solar MWhrs applied in individual (person or company) applications. Complete details available by following the Press Release link above.
Looks like solar power is taking a foothold in the west... What's your opinion is solar power feasible on a scale much larger than this?

Permalink: Colorado Solar Powered
Tags: solar energy
Vote for Colorado Solar Powered:
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Rating: 7.20 out of 5 vote(s) cast.
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Response from:
Anthony
(04/20/06 7:54am)
Response from:
michael
(04/20/06 10:03am)
more in the future on this... much to write about. the altenative uses you mentioned, i.e. solar walls that heat or cool depending on application... not a new application (as you mentioned) but not common knowledge thanks for reminding us...
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If you look solely at solar energy in terms of megawatt hours (MWhrs) of electricity that can be produced, we will have to look toward new technologies. What most think of as a solar panel has too many drawbacks: a leaf falling on it breaks the circuit (must keep surface clean); they must be large, thick, heavy, and expensive; and they must face the sun to be most effective (must create extra surface or use energy to steer them); for instance. And what about their environmental impact when covering other than rooftops?
Alan Alda has hosted a character on Scientific American's TV specials who invented a "panel" that looks like a roofing shingle which solves a number of those problems. Such a thing might be used on vehicles as well as stationary generators. Perhaps that is the type of new technology needed. If you're making electricity.
But Colorado and other humans might be better served by using the Sun to reduce energy consumption, not encourage it.
Solar panels for heating water have startup costs, but are efficient and effective. They must be a bit larger for forced-hot-water heating of air spaces.
Solar "walls" can heat large volumes of air. There is one advertised on this Web site. Its design type would be even better if it used convection instead of electricity to circulate air. And I have seen plans for do-it-yourselfers to make their own cheaply.
When solar walls are used to cool air, or at least provide circulation (the way plantation houses did, perhaps), we can make huge gashes in electricity bills.
One automaker has covered the flat roof of its factory with self sustaining plants. This cleans the air we breath, produces oxygen, and supports wildlife. A Banner Box can take a big bite out of combustion engine emissions. God only knows how much energy that type of effort will save us once we humans find out how much it's going to cost us to reverse the damage we have done to this planet.
Colorado has done well to require better energy production via regulations. Iowa has, I believe, gone one step further by creating incentives for better production (see ifenergy.com article "Iowa Upfront").
But the real power for us humans is in reducing our ennergy consumption. Both in needs and in wants.