Sustainable Energy and Environmental Impact

Rating: No Rating

I got finished reading and article in "The Dirt" about the future use and expansion of Solar-Thermal power plants.

I know there are endless benefits to solar power plants, but I want to pose the question of what are some of the environmental impacts of such power plants.

When I think of there solar plants the first thing that pops into my mind is the shear size of the compound (hundreds if not thousands of acres of mirrors). Other things I'm wondering are how natural habitats and wildlife will be affected? What will it look like to air travelers flying overhead? let alone birds.

Is there a renewable energy source out there that doesn't require the destruction of vast amounts of land to use?

Tags: alternative, energy, envionmental, impact, power, solar, thermal

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nick Aceto on June 10, 2009 at 11:38am: I'd say it is if they could find other ways of using that land in addition to the array, such as a park, but nobody wants to get boiled..; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Clayton Munson on June 10, 2009 at 12:02pm: It seems to be fairly efficient that way I would much rather see several 20 acre sites than one massive site. Nick, I don't think they could use it as a park. That would be allowing the public near a power generating station which could be a security threat. But I am sure that they can figure out something else that it could be paired with.

I saw an article the they are planning on building the worlds largest solar plant in AZ. 1900 acres to power 70000 homes. I think Seville is head of the game with efficiency.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bob Luther on June 10, 2009 at 2:15pm: The flip side that the engineers still need to deal with is a cloudy day and at night, capacitors don't seem to be effecient at holding all of the energy, so you can't "bank" the power for night time use, much like wind power (and most other forms of alternative energy) you are limited to the times when the plant is producing.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Clayton Munson on June 10, 2009 at 6:34pm: Basically we all pay for part of it, how much is based on where you live. Feds and States use the tax money and the consumer pays for the rest of it. So if you use the electricity from it you are paying more than anyone.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Joshua Hale on June 10, 2009 at 8:46pm: I know nuclear energy is a no-no in most environmental circles but IMHO it is probably the best all around solution we have for our present and future condition when taking into account economics, energy output, and land. I recently learned of a new reactor developed by Los Alamos that is contained in a 20'x20' concrete box buried underground with no moving parts and can power 10,000 homes for 7-10 years before refueling. Plus the rods can now be reprocessed and used many times (up to 1,000 years). It is now being built by a private contractor and sells for about $25 million. If it lasts ten years then the average cost per household would only be $250/year assuming 10,000 homes are powered by it. Neat fact: One of the founders of Green Peace now endorses nuclear energy as the most viable alternative to fossil fuels.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Clayton Munson on June 10, 2009 at 9:21pm: I'm all for it. $250 per year that's less than most people pay per month on their electric bill.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Roland Beinert on June 14, 2009 at 12:08pm: I'm glad the nuclear industry is responding to the criticisms of the past and making a comeback. But even nuclear has drawbacks. You can reduce the waste, but it is still going to be there for ages. Uranium is not a renewable resource, and it is mined with machinery that uses fossil fuels. I also think it's easier for certain other countries to justify having nuclear for "peaceful" purposes if we decide to rely on it ourselves.
All energy sources have their disadvantages. I think we need to keep exploring all alternatives rather than settling on one.
We also need to continue to make all our modern gadgets more efficient. It's important to remember that people survived for thousands of years without any of them, and just because a technology is old does not mean it is worthless. Bikes, for example, seem to be considered toys by some now that we have cars. But they are actually the most efficient form of transport we have (even more efficient than walking). For me it's hard to justify wasting money and energy running an air conditioner all summer when there are ways to cool a building passively.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Roland Beinert on June 30, 2009 at 8:42am: I just read this article about carnivorous gadgets: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/carnivorous-gadgets-eat-bug...
Kind of weird.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ryan A. Waggoner on June 30, 2009 at 9:31am: ya roland, cool idea, but it kind of creeps me out for some reason. i'm assuming the entire bodies are "digested" by the fuel cells??; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Roland Beinert on June 30, 2009 at 9:56am: It kind of creeps me out, too. I imagine it does digest the whole thing.
It's funny how many weird, obscure ways there are to produce energy.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Clayton Munson on June 30, 2009 at 10:21am: Ya a little creepy. but it does offer a base to grow off of. If they are powered from decomposing insects (organic matter) what if the technology was further developed to use any organic waste. Food waste from dinner could be used to power your home. Albeit it would take a whole lot of food to produce enough power, but the future is wide open for this. Think about how much organic matter is sent to landfills from your home.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ryan A. Waggoner on June 30, 2009 at 11:31am: agreed, if everyone just kept a compost of food waste think how much organic matter could be kept from being "thrown away". then that could be used for mulching, soil improvement, etc...or for systems similar to this...; ▶ Reply to This