Solar Power Much Cheaper Than Oil
Posted: Monday, July 24th, 2006 by damnHippyTags: Energy, Renewable Energy, Technology
Not the traditional solar panel technology, but a thermal solar concentration facility. Using mirrors to concentrate solar energy on a single point to generate steam which then powers traditional turbines. This technology can produce the energy equivalent of a barrel of oil for roughly $50USD. Today the price of oil is above $72USD.
A powerplant of this sort has been running in the Mohave desert in California since the 1980's, see pic above. In 2004 this one facility produced the majority of our country's solar electricity according the Dept. of Energy. These solar plants are still being perfected, but the existing technology already results in energy cheaper than traditional alernatives. A plant being planned on a 1000 acre site in Israel will incorporate technological improvements on the same design that should make the plants even 15% more efficient. Why haven't these plants caught on?
New solar power much cheaper than oil, says report » [IOL]
