We need to learn quickly to keep up with the massive change around us so we don't get run over. We need to outrun change.
I am particularly intrigued by the concept of unintended consequences. You try to do something to fix one problem and wind up causing another problem.
Here’s another unintended consequence for those massive solar farms out in the desert – blinding pilots who are flying over the highly reflective panels.
Chris Clarke at ReWire on 3/12 reports Desert Solar Power Plant a Risk to Air Safety, Say Pilots. (How does he crank out all those articles?)
Here’s a few more ideas on the downsides of solar and wind farms that I’d like to pursue when I can. In the meantime, I’ll throw out a few more concerns for my future research.
How many birds get missed in the official counts?
In addition to birds found at solar sites, how many are mortally wounded by the solar flux but have enough energy to fly another one or 20 miles before giving in to their injuries?
In addition to birds found at the sites, how many get eaten in between the surveys of the site?
Continue reading “A few other things I wonder about solar and wind farms – solar #14”
The change in oil production in the last few years is astounding. For perspective, look at the following two charts by Prof. Mark Perry, from his Carpe Diem blog. Both graphs used with permission:
Oil production in Texas:
From The remarkable rise of Texas crude oil: The state produced nearly one billion barrels last year, and 34.5% of all US crude. Just under a billion barrels. That’s around a third of US production.
Oil production in North Dakota took off in 2008: Continue reading “The shale revolution. Or, what Peak Oil? #33”
Will another several hundred thousand solar panels in the desert make life easier for ravens? Will those same solar panels store heat, thus making survival harder for desert tortoises? Or does it fail the reasonableness test that solar panels will provide relief from and increase exposure to temperature simultaneously?
I would like to discuss two news articles and then bring the information in them together.
First –
2/19 – KCET / ReWire – Feds Green Light 2 More Solar Projects in Ivanpah Valley – On 2/19 the Interior Department approved 2 more projects near the Nevada-California border. Expectation is the two projects combined will kill or injure or require relocation of 2,115 desert tortoises. Those critters are in the threatened category under federal law. (2,115? Two thousand tortoises? Do I need to add some sarcasm or is merely stating the expected impact sufficient ridicule?)
Interesting unintended consequence of the two projects is that hundreds of thousands of photovoltaic cells will provide lots of shade in the hot desert, thus increasing survival rates for ravens, thus reducing survival rates for desert tortoises. Ravens are apparently quite fond of desert tortoises, and not in a BFF kind of way.
Second –
2/24 – KCET /ReWire – Solar Plant May Make Deserts Too Hot For Tortoises – Run that by me again?
News articles on the environmental damage from slice-and-dicers and wing-toasters are piling up faster in my archives than I can post the info.
So, I guess it’s time to start writing short updates. On other topics covered on this blog, I’m calling those brief comments about a topic more good stuff. Since uncontained, unresearched environmental damage is not particularly good, calling these updates more good stuff won’t work.
Here’s some brief updates:
2/15 – San Bernardino Sun – Ivanpah partners tout solar-thermal generating plant’s success – Article discusses the gala grand opening of the Ivanpah plant, which is a sufficient large scar in the desert that it is visible from the International Space Station.
Article says there are dangers to insects and bats, as well as birds. I’ve not had opportunity to research that issue.
Continue reading “Update on solar and wind power, 2-26-14 – solar #12”
I often seen a news article related to the topics discussed on my blogs but the article doesn’t warrant a full post. Or, I don’t have time to develop a full discussion. Those articles are described briefly in “more good stuff” discussions.
Here’s a few quick notes on interesting news that I won’t cover in a separate post: housing prices, pad drilling, and improper disposal of radioactive filters.
This is the third post in a series based on an article from the Canada Free Press dated 1-18-14: Hard Times Hit Large Scale Solar Energy.
The first post here summarized why solar farms are in trouble generally and described the extensive subsidies that supported them. The second post here described more of the environmental harm generated at one solar farm. This final part got bumped by the opening of the big facility near the Nevada border.
Solar plants used to be quite lucrative financially.
Solar plants used to be quite the money-maker, what with unwilling demand from customers created by regulators, big federal tax credits realized before construction, and huge loan guarantees.
From the article Continue reading “Financial results for wing-toasters and future prospects, part 3 – solar #11”
The Ivanpah thermal solar plant has been operating all three towers in the facility since the first of the year. That according to the San Bernardino Sun on 2/3/14– World’s largest solar thermal plant comes on line near state line. They hosted a grand opening on 2/13/14, as mentioned here.
All three towers are in operation. At peak point of output, while the sun is up, when there aren’t any clouds in the sky, and when the towers are actually working (see comment later in this post), the three towers will be able to produce a maximum of 392MW. Of this, 259 MW will go to Pacific Gas and Electric in the bay area and 133 MW (from unit 3) will go to SCE here in Southern California, according to the article.
On the other hand, Chris Clarke reports on 1/30 that Ivanpah Solar Project Quietly Goes Online — Or Does It?
Continue reading “Largest solar plant comes on line, sort of – solar #10”
(photo by James Ulvog)
As The $2.2 Billion Bird-Scorching Solar Project hosted an open house yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran an article with that title. The article is summarized in the article’s subtitle, At California’s Ivanpah Plant, Mirrors Produce Heat and Electricity—And Kill Wildlife.
The article is above the fold on the front page of the second section. There are two great photos of the facility. My photo of the plant is above.
Good introduction
If you are just tuning in to the environmental damage caused by solar farms, the above article would be a great place to start.
Continue reading “Wall Street Journal article about “Bird-Scorching” – solar #9”
(Photo by James Ulvog)
Previous post highlighted financial info about solar farms I learned from an article in the Canada Free Press dated 1-18-14: Hard Times Hit Large Scale Solar Energy.
This post describes new info I learned about the environmental damage from the Ivanpah solar farm.
Next post will paint a picture of how I’m guessing one solar farm was financed and discuss the prospects for future thermal farms.
Environmental harm
The article linked above goes into detail on the environmental damage from the Ivanpah project I’ve discussed before.
Melted wings
More good stuff on the open frontiers of energy, space, education, and publishing. Good info but only time to summarize in a paragraph. A few tidbits:
Publishing
1-17 – AP – Court: Bloggers have first amendment protections – I don’t understand the case, but the point appears to be that bloggers are recognized as having constitutional protection when addressing public issues or public persons. Very cool.
But then since I’m writing on a blog to discuss this article I obviously have a dog in this fight.
1-17 – The Volokh Conspiracy – Bloggers = Media for First Amendment Libel Law Purposes – That’s the headline from the attorney who represented the defendant. Here’s a quote from the court’s ruling:
Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 2-7-14”
I’ve been wanting to find some financial info for the operations of a solar farm.
Wow, did I hit the jackpot with an article from the Canada Free Press dated 1-18-14: Hard Times Hit Large Scale Solar Energy.
I will extract some of the financial tidbits and reorganize them.
Here’s the summary reason (broken into bullet points) why solar power plants aren’t getting built very fast:
Solar companies are going out of business because solar power is not economic without large government subsidies and incentives;
projects are being canceled because of lack of financing;
saving threatened or endangered species, such as the desert tortoise, is costing solar developers dearly; and
once built, solar developers are having difficulty in negotiating agreements to sell their power to utilities because solar power requires higher rates than what utilities pay for power from traditional energy sources.
General relationship of electricity costs
Continue reading “Financial results not looking good for wing-toasters, part 1 – solar #7”
K Kaufmann from The Desert Sun has a followup report to the article I discussed here and here. Newer report, which I just read recently, is from 11/22/13: What to do about bird deaths at solar and wind farms.
Regulatory compliance reports are summarized for the Ivanpah solar farm. Here’s the data:
The wing-toasting facility’s mortality count went up in October. Not quite the trend needed to argue solar farms aren’t hurting birds.
Continue reading “Some updates on bird fatalities at solar farms (solar #6)”
The team at University of Texas San Antonio’s Center for Community and Business Research are busy, busy, busy.
The team just released a new study: Economic Impact of Oil and Gas Activities in the West Texas Energy Consortium Study Region . This one looks at the area adjacent to and just east of the Permian Basin.
Continue reading “Impact from another field in the shadows of Permian and Eagle Ford”
Opening photo is of a feet-up bufflehead duck 25 miles from the nearest water.
Where was he? Between two rows of solar panels at the Genesis Solar farm in the California desert.
Condition? Decomposing. He is feet-up, as I said.
Cause of death? Unknown. Your guess is as good as the reporter’s.
Chris Clarke reports in ReWire on 7-17-13: Water Birds Turning Up Dead at Solar Projects in the Desert.