Solar energy and its future

Wednesday, 11 January 2012 17:31

Solar energy and its future

Written by Scott LaMar, Director of Radio Smart Talk

Radio Smart Talk for Thursday, January 12:

The International Energy Agency estimates that solar power will provide almost a quarter of the world's electricity by 2050. Currently, solar accounts for 0.5% so obviously there's much to be done in the next 38 years if those projections are realized.

To reach that point, it will take many ventures like the Keystone Solar Project being constructed in East Drumore Township, Lancaster County -- the largest of its kind in Pennsylvania. Once completed, Keystone will produce about 7,500 megawatts per hour of electricity each year. That's the equivalent of powering 950 homes.

Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster has committed to purchasing renewable energy credits from the Keystone project -- the first time a retail customer has done so.

On Thursday's Radio Smart Talk, we'll be joined by Community Energy, the developer of the Keystone Solar Project to discuss the future of solar power and other renewable energies.

LISTEN TO PROGRAM:

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comments

# rich 2012-01-12 10:30

There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of acres of large commercial or organizational parking lots in the country. It seems to me they are the ideal place for large solar power arrays. We would not be blocking otherwise usable grasslands - instead the vehicles in the lots would be kept more comfortably cool in the summer. I recognize that it would cost more to install panels above parking lots than over grass or dirt, but that much more?

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# Andy Winters 2012-01-12 10:33

My question relates to the current competition with natural gas marketing in PA. Do you think solar energy would be on more equal footing if it could be shown that solar panels were manufactured in the US? My fear is China has once again beat us to the punch (again) in terms of manufacturing.

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# Lisa 2012-01-12 10:40

Much as you can still get sunburned on a cloudy day, solar panels still produce energy on a cloudy day. I wish the guest had clarified that. We have a solar array and it does still generate power on a cloudy day.

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# David 2012-01-12 10:53

A woman called in to ask if electricity prices for renewable energy has come down at all, and I just wanted to say that we actually get an EXTRA 20% renewable energy for the same price, competitively, as what PPL provides, which I think is something like a total of 9% or 10% renewable.... Viridian Energy is the company, and we get 29 or 30% renewable, and we are paying LESS than PPL's supply.

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# John Fehringer 2012-01-12 12:33

I enjoy your show as I work at my office at the Seminary here in Gettysburg. Thank you.
On your program today I wanted to say that I have 28 Solar Panels and though it was a lot of money to install I have gotten a number of benefits already and have been told that it increases the value of my property. I was also told that I could receiver more benefits if I signed up with an Agrigator who purchases some energy credits from me and then sells it to industry that needs right offs for their use. How does one find an Agrigator in our area in Pennsylvania/.
Than you. John

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# Perry 2012-01-12 19:56

Even the US Military is going green:

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201107/blood-and-oil.aspx#.Tw7zkdkj4m9.mailto

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# Robert Colgan 2012-01-12 22:06

It is pretty obvious that our government is still putting its money into fossil fuels producers and users.

The Jimmy Carter initiative in the '70s to homeowners to install solar and receive a very healthy tax break right off the top made it attractive---------but the technology didn't exist at the time with any reliability.

NOW, we have the technology, and it's getting better all the time-----but the incentive from the government is not promotional.
I urge everyone to write their Congresspersons and demand that they introduce legislation to restore tax breaks for solar, wind, geothermal, etc.

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# Jo 2012-01-12 23:27

My very first thought was what rich touched on--why take up all that land when surely the same results could be achieved by building similar projects above existing structures.

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