How Solar Panels Could Power 90% of US Transportation
In January, Scientific American writers unleashed an ambitious plan to halt global warming, eliminate our dependence on petroleum and the substantial trade deficit, boost the economy and create 3 million jobs, and brighten the dismal forecasts for the mid twenty-first century.
The plan is conceptually simple but would be substantial to implement:
- Construct a 30,000 square mile array of solar panels in the Southwest,
- along with concentrated solar power arrays and,
- a massive direct-current power transmission backbone to distribute electricity throughout the country.
- Excess power produced by the photovoltaic arrays would be distributed and stored as compressed air in below-ground caverns.
Development of such a system could provide almost three-quarters of the nation’s electricity by 2050.
- » See also: Dell Builds Solar Trees For Parking Lot
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If this sounds like fantasy-land, it’s not. The technology is already here, and even if it wasn’t the need for renewable power is very real. Some scientists are calling for an all-out Manhattan-Project-style focus on developing alternative energy sources. One thing is almost certain: if we can’t move beyond coal as our (worldwide) primary energy source, we’re in for a rocky future.
I’ve written several posts lately about plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and their need for renewable energy charging sources. PHEVs are a stepping stone as the future of transportation heads toward electric vehicles powered either by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. Solar power would be the ultimate source of clean energy for either type of electric vehicle.
The authors of the Scientific American article think all of this energy can come from solar power. Here are some excerpts:
- Utilizing only 2.5% of the sun’s energy falling onto the 250,000 square miles in the Southwest suitable for constructing solar power plants could match the total power used in the US in 2006.
- With a massive investment in solar power plants and infrastructure, solar could provide 69% of US electricity and 35% of total energy (including transportation) by 2050.
- If wind, biomass, and geothermal power sources were also developed, the US could produce 100% of its electricity and 90% of its transportation energy (in the form of hydrogen) from renewable sources.
- To make this happen, the US would have to invest $10 billion per year for the next 40 years. For comparison, the US is now spending $12 billion per month for military involvement Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. The entire solar array would cost approximately 15% of the total bill for both of these operations. $420 billion is also less than the tax subsidies paid for the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure in the last 35 years.
- A conversion to renewable energy of this scale would displace 300 coal and 300 natural gas-fired power plants, and eliminate all imported oil. Even better, greenhouse-gas emissions would be reduced to 62% below 2005 levels.
In sum, the potential is there, but it’s going to take some work. As the authors conclude:
The greatest obstacle to implementing a renewable U.S. energy system is not technology or money, however. It is the lack of public awareness that solar power is a practical alternative—and one that can fuel transportation as well. Forward-looking thinkers should try to inspire U.S. citizens, and their political and scientific leaders, about solar power’s incredible potential. Once Americans realize that potential, we believe the desire for energy self-sufficiency and the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions will prompt them to adopt a national solar plan.
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Read Sustainablog’s take on this article here.
Source: Scientific American (Jan. 2008): A Solar Grand Plan
Photo Credit: GreenOptions
Before I beamed your page onto my laptop and read your article & comments, I read other articles on environmental awareness.
I discussed my views from these articles with my husband, and suggested some of my own ideas -even if they weren’t practical or possible…
One idea was:
If only we could convert all of our roads, especially in the south or where the sun shines most, to some kind of solar-energy absorbing highway that automatically would release its energy into your car’s tires as you drove on that road, and the energy released from the road would then be absorbed into your tires, and then would turn them round as you drove on that road! The road also would contain the energy absorbed until needed and used by motorists.
Wouldn’t that be fantastic?!!!
Then, I read your article and realized that that idea wasn’t too far-fetched! -though not yet as possible and hopeful as yours!
I agree. Given the fact that there doesn’t seem to be that many practical good options, the solar energy one is realistic and best-suited to take on the gigantic task of solving not only America’s enormous energy problems, (that actually indeed involve much more than just “energy”), but the world’s as well…
Thanks for all you do.
From one Amer-”I CAN” to another who live in a country called the US (or “us”),
Wendy
Thanks. Don’t knock Greenpeace, because they try at least to do the “right” and “just” things…
Solar panels are the way of the future. In India as well there is a huge potential. Indian government has special plans for providing subsidies. Check out this article: http://www.onepv.com/government_incentives.htm.
Like Clayton said ‘Solar power would be the ultimate source of clean energy for either type of electric vehicle.’
photovoltaic cells make absolutely zero sense for large scale electrical power production. they simply cost far too much (for now…) to be practical. however, large scale power production using solar concentrators (parabolic troughs) is much more viable economically. check out
http://www.industrialsolartech.com/abttrghs.htm
[...] How Solar Panels Could Power 90% of US Transportation [...]
The cost of any solar cells will prevent any array of them being cheaper than Nuclear power plants. The cost of the power would starve the common people of the US. The money is better invested in CANDU reactors that can burn the used fuel currently sitting at US power plant. Not one pound of uranium would have to be mined for ten years to fuel fifty new reactors. ..HG…
This website is a breath of fresh air. People criticizing initiatives like this might consider they could make similar money in alternative fuels as they have been making in coal and oil. Or if you’re given to criticize, please make it constructive and not bitter or caustic. Give the planet a chance and our economy a break instead of protecting vested interests. Yes, there will be challenges and hurdles and of course solar and wind and natural gas will not answer all of our energy needs, but we need enthusiasm and initiative to mobilize ourselves for some change. Watch how the price of oil comes down as we talk up these alternative possibilities — the pain abates when people get stirred up to make progress.
Forward thinker? Its a cool idea, but if the person who wrote this article was a forward thinker, he’d question what impact putting 20 million people out of work would have. Thats exactly what would happen. Your city gas stations, a few truck drivers, and the local power company, gone. Im sure there are a ton of residual impacts as well.
Hello.
In addition to the 30,000 sq. mile farms, why can’t every exterior air conditioner be sold with it’s own small solar energy factory, at least powerful enough to run that one air conditioner unit?
Thanks, Nancy Holmes
How much TIME and MONEY would it take to clean 30,000 square miles of SPV’s? (and remember kids, these baby’s get HOT, and thus must be cleaned when weather permits or at night)… Without regular cleaning, Solar Cells can see greatly depreciating efficiencies over time.
…Creating jobs perhaps? Clean PV arrays for 8 hours a day for a year or two and it’d seem that suicide is the only remaining option.
It’s fun to dream, but lets be a bit more reasonable and consider all the INDIRECT costs.
The mass suicides could help, too, tough. Overpopulation and all. What if (like one of the posts sort of suggested above) the PV units were placed along the highway? Maybe, since we already messed up nature there, we could just reuse the space? And on tops of buildings and maybe the solar “forest” idea over parking lots….