Coming to rooftops near you: 65 million square feet of solar panels

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I'd rather see solar panels on my rooftop and yours, but this is still pretty cool.

A project has been proposed that will place photovoltaic cells on 65 million square feet of commercial building roofs in Southern California.

The cells will generate as much as 250 megawatts of electricity -- enough to power about 162,500 average homes -- based on an estimate that 1 megawatt would serve about 650 average homes. Wow!

The plan, the largest rooftop solar installation project ever proposed by a utility company in the country, was announced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Southern California Edison, according to a story in the L.A. Times.

This could "set off a huge wave of renewable-energy growth," said Schwarzenegger

And you know what that means? Typically when there is more demand for technology, the price drops. And that means affordable home systems could be coming our way sooner rather than later.

The first of the solar rooftops, in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, is expected to be up and producing electricity by August.

Another project recently announced proposes to place a 250-megawatt plant, dubbed the Beacon Solar Energy Project, on about 2,000 acres in eastern Kern County.

Read the whole story

Comments

[JJ]

Robert Constant | March 30, 2008 at 03:29 AM
". . .still pumping out power 15 years after they have been installed.
Solar Elelctric cells have no moving parts and nothing to wear out. They last virtually forever."

Extremely pertinent point. To be fair as well, there is a drop-off in efficiency however. A system originally installed may operate at 99% capacity for example, but there is a rate of cellular decay that decreases a panels output over time. So, 30 years later, (still wow, 30 years) the same panel may only produce at 75% to 85% capacity.

The more panels we install now, the greater demand. The more manufacturing we do here in the states, the cheaper these panels will become to replace, as well as install.

Renewable Energy, in all it's forms, is the right answer, no matter the initial cost. No matter how "insufficient" they may be in the near term for replacing our current energy "usages". Let me put out there that very important distinction; the difference between NEED and USAGE. As a 1st world nation, we have a convenient way of marrying the two. No difference between the two in our minds, very similar to any form of addiction.

One could argue that the American Energy Consumer could use a little time with Dr. Drew, on forms of addiction.

[jja_American]

Green power? grow corn to make fuel, stupid, maybe the 'extra' corn will help? yes solar works but not for everyone. why don't people slow down while driving?= they are lazy!I like electric cars BUT where is the power coming from? coal, LNG, and yep OIL..we need Nuclear. period. If you think we can have free energy you are dreaming. Nothing is free. Mr Carter gave a very good speech on oil in 1979 I was there..He was not our best president. he did in fact start the smart bomb program, and I wish he would have sent one or 50 to Iran for taking US citizens for 444 days. Had I been a Hostage I would have prayed to GOD for that gift..oh, one more thing Prius drivers are among the worst, right along with SUV's
Have a Green day..

[Mike B.]

Most people would rather have a new car every 2-5 years than a new solar-efficient roof once.

A great many people would rather have a giant-screen TV than send their kids to summer camp or pay for their kids' braces.

Some people are just never going to get their priorities straight. I dare say most.

[Ginger K.]

If there is a god, he or she must be either laughing or crying and thinking;

"You big dumb idiots! I gave you the biggest battery you could ever imagine, shining heat and energy on your orb all the time, and what do you do? Poison your environment with burnt oil and nuculear waste in order to cool your houses and try to get away from the massive amount of free energy I'm sending your way.

And now you've convinced your religious folks that addressing global climate change as a result of your actions is a Marxist plot, so now they're burning extra oil for Jesus.

"From what I can tell so far, your species is too stupid to survive. Maybe I'll have better luck next time around."

[Pete28]

So what happens when the sun goes down, or it gets cloudy?