Desert Daylight Solar Farm Slated For Riverside California
Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, recently authorized the Desert Daylight Solar Farm, a 550-megawatt solar energy project to be built in Riverside California. It is estimated that the new solar photovoltaic power plant will create roughly 630 new jobs during the construction phase and pump approximately $336 million into the local economy.
The Desert Daylight Solar Farm, located in Riverside California, will become the largest photovoltaic power plant approved for construction by the U.S. Department of Interior to date. In addition to the new plant slated for Riverside California, the Department of Interior continues to help to spur job creation and investment in the solar energy space by authorizing twelve major solar projects in the past eighteen months that are designed to strengthen the economy and America’s energy independence.
Thin film photovoltaic ( PV ) technology will be utilized in Riverside California solar facility because it generates electric power with a little visible impact, zero emissions, zero water use, and little or no waste production. As a consequence thin film solar photovoltaic technology possesses the smallest carbon footprint among solar energy panels available today.
News reports and press releases indicate that the power generated at the new Riverside California solar energy facility will be stepped up from 230 kV to 500 kV and fed to the regional grid system maintained by So Cal Edison via the Red Bluff substation. The Desert Daylight Solar Farm will become the latest addition to nine other solar electricity plants, known as Solar Electricity Creating Systems (SEGS), located in the Mojave Desert and supplying electricity to the grid. Collectively they are the largest solar energy installation in the world with a mixed capacity of approximately 354 MW.
There are additional plans to build other large scale solar power plants in the Mojave Desert because the solar radiation in the Mojave Desert is among the best available in the United States and there are heavy population centers are found in the area. With that in mind the Desert Daylight project will be located east of Palm Springs and approximately six miles north of Desert Center in Riverside California.
The project has secured approximately $1.88 Billion in loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of The Interior and it is expected that more than three quarters of the anticipated $336 million in local economic stimulus, including $197 in local wages, will take effect during the construction phase of the project. The remaining economic benefit will be felt over the subsequent 25 year operating period.
Furthermore it is expected that the project will generate more than $27 million in sales and property tax revenue for the county of Riverside. It is said that Desert Daylight Holdings will receive a right-of-way grant to use these public lands for thirty years from the Bureau of Land Management, assuming that all leases and other conditions required for the permitting process are met. The Bureau of Land Management is charged with managing and protecting vast regions of public land in Riverside California among other locations throughout the state.
Related articles
- Obama administration announces desert ‘solar energy zones’ (environmenteng.wordpress.com)
- Apple teaming with Leaf Solar Power on datacenter solar farm (electronista.com)
- More Southern CA Solar Projects Contested in Court (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
- Solar Project Near Blythe Alters Plan (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
- U.S. announces desert ‘solar energy zones’ (physorg.com)
- Apple plans solar power for data center (slashgear.com)
Recent Study Shows That Solar Energy Panels Shade Your Roof!
As it turns out, the solar energy panels on top of your roof are not just providing clean renewable power, they’re also cooling your home, according to a gang of engineering analysts at the UC San Diego Jacobs College of Engineering. Using thermal imaging, analysts determined that during the daytime, a building’s ceiling was five degrees Fahrenheit cooler under solar energy panels than under an exposed roof.
As solar energy panels sprout on a rising number of home and commercial roofs, it becomes more crucial to consider their result on a buildings ‘ total energy costs. Analysts determined the total saved on cooling the building amounted to getting a five % discount on the solar energy panels price, over the panel’s lifetime.
Or to put it in a different way, savings in cooling costs amounted to selling five % more solar electricity to the grid than the solar energy panels were directly generating for the building that was used in the study.
A thermal infrared camera was used to gather the info for the study over a few days in Apr 2011 on the rooftop of the Powell Structural Systems Lab at the Jacobs College of Engineering. Naturally there were portions of the roof that were not covered by the solar energy panels.
Essentially what this means is that the solar energy panels shade the roof. Instead of the sun thrashing down onto the roof, causing heat to be penetrate the roof and ceiling of the building, the solar energy panels take the solar thrashing. The result is that a significant amount of the heat is removed by wind blowing between the solar energy panels and the rooftop.
The advantages are more significant if there’s an opening between the building’s rooftop and the solar energy panels, so elevated or tilted solar panels provide a greater amount of cooling. Though the measurements happened over a short period of time, it is presumed that the evidence thus far makes it possible to forecast cooling effects throughout the year. With this in mind, it is worth noting that if you’re considering installing solar photovoltaic, you may expect a significant decrease in the quantity of energy you use to chill your residence. For more information on how you can save money and do something positive for the environment by switching to solar with a Fixed Rate Solar Lease, please set up your Free In Home Solar Analysis today!
Related articles
- Comprehensive Details about Solar power Shingles. (thediamondringreview.com)
- Solar Power Equipment (allhome-improve.com)
- FoE threatens lawsuit over solar panels (guardian.co.uk)
- Here Comes Solar Energy – NYTimes.com (policyabcs.wordpress.com)
- StorageMart Turns Self Storage Into Renewable Solar Energy (prweb.com)
- Can Heading Solar power Sound right For the Dwelling? (thediamondringreview.com)
California Solar Energy Growth Is Leading The Pack!
In California solar energy receives a great deal of government and public support, and it shows! In a list put together by the Solar Energy Industries Association comparing states’ installed solar capacity, California solar energy is leading the pack with 971 megawatts, which is more than the capacity of most major power plants. New Jersey came in at a distant second at only 293 megawatts, but with slightly faster growth rates – which may seem odd given the differences in weather patterns between the two states.
California Solar Energy Makes Up 47% of the Nation’s Total
Almost half of our nation’s solar comes from California solar energy. There are many reasons why this is the case. The sunny, clear weather, particularly in the Southern part of the state, allows panels to work at optimal levels, making California solar energy a better investment than for many other states.
Also, the state government incentivizes the expansion of California solar energy with rebates through the California Solar Initiative, making it easier for residents to afford the installation of solar panels. Solar lease agreements are an additional benefit to homeowners because it allows them to take advantage of the cost-savings of California solar energy without having to take a risk on the high upfront costs or the worry about maintaining and repairing the solar panel system if something goes wrong.
In California solar energy is an investment that just makes sense, and its expansion shows no sign of stopping. Today it is cheaper than ever to install solar energy panels in your home. Homes that do have decreased energy costs and sell at higher prices.
If you’d like to take advantage of solar energy for your home, contact Fixed Rate Solar Lease for a Free In Home Analysis.
Related articles
- Here Comes Solar Energy – NYTimes.com (policyabcs.wordpress.com)
- Solar Trade Dispute Over China Intensifies (forbes.com)
- Solar Power Equipment (allhome-improve.com)
- Why do the poles receive less solar energy from the sun (wiki.answers.com)
- Solar Power Advantages and Drawbacks (thediamondringreview.com)
- “These days, mention solar power and you’ll probably hear cries of “Solyndra!” Republicans have tried…” (underpaidgenius.com)
