By the end of this month Florida will have the largest solar plant in the nation online. DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center is the name of the newly built plant that will provide power to more than 3,000 homes and produce over 110 megawatts of energy within a year. The solar plant will boast 90,000 photovoltaic cells and will make Florida the second largest solar power producing state in the country. Not only will this plant provide an enormous amount of green emission free energy but it has also stimulated the Florida economy by creating 400 jobs and $2 million dollars in tax revenue that will go to benefit local schools. The gigantic solar plant uses no fuel or water, and will produce no waste. At the same time it will reduce green house gas emissions by more than 575,000 tons. To put this into perspective 575,000 tons is the equivalent of taking 4,500 cars off the road every year. The electricity produced here will also reduce Florida's fuel consumption by more than "277,000 barrels of oil and 7 billion cubic feet of natural gas." The environmental benefits of this plant are beyond measure and other states have taken notice. Many other states, such as Texas, have begun to draw plans for enormous solar plants similar to Florida's. This is a major step forward in the country's process of going green. However, one issue with solar technology is that states closer to the equator have a greater return due to the greater amounts of sunlight. To counteract this northern states can implement hydro or wind technology and still reap the benefits of green technology.
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/powering-nations-largest-solar-power-plant/
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Nature Man, I find this really interesting. I know you said that states closer to the equator have advantage to use solar power in comparison to northern states, and you said they should look into hydro and wind power. However how would you implement this in large cities? This would bring a lot of opposition. For example: Let's say NYC is trying to implement wind or hydro-power. Wind mills would produce a loss of aesthetic beauty to the City, which many people might care about. Also hydro power, would be impossible in a city such as this because the main water reservoir is the Hudson River which is a main export/importing dock. So how do you think that large cities such as NYC can use green technology without ruining/disrupting the beauty of the city?
ReplyDeleteDo you know how much this plant will cost and how much money Florida will end up saving in the long run? Also, do you know if North Carolina has any plans to build a plant similar to this one or any other major plans for green power?
ReplyDeleteCuba2miami you bring up a good point about large urban cities such as New York and how they could implement green technology. There are many possible ways this could be accomplished. One for example is to utilize the high winds that occur at the top of buildings by implementing wind turbines. While a normal wind turbine may not be aesthetically appealing architects and designers could design a plan that would essentially disguise the turbine. However, wind is not my speciality so I will focus on hydro technology. New York has the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean to draw energy from. Technology such as the free flow hydro or tide technology could be used without interrupting the valuable transport that goes on. Free flow technology could be implemented along the coasts out of the way and are essentially small boxes that sit in the water. Also, the tide technology I mentioned is used under the surface so could be put deep in the Hudson's current. Also, wave farms could be built in the Atlantic and restaraunts or sight seeing platforms could be built on top so that they would create green energy and be a tourist attraction.
ReplyDeleteThis Guy... I have not been able to find much information regarding costs other than the total project cost is $150 million. I also was not able to find any information about any similar large scale plants such as this one coming about in North Carolina. However, there are a lot of small scale green actions occuring that can be see at ncgreenpower.org.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting. The tangible facts you gave about how much this plant is helping the environment shows how progress can be made to help combat global warming. For many people, it is just too easy to be overwhelmed by the issue, and to feel like proactive steps such as this plant are not really making any difference. However, this is just one example of how that is obviously not the case.
ReplyDeleteAs I Floridian I am very proud of my home state. However, this makes me wonder, why is it taking the other states so long to follow the example that Florida has put in front of them? This is exactly what our country needs; it is imperitive that we get off of coal and stop dwindling our finite resources and start using renewable energy. Although this project is projected to cost 150 million dollars I am sure it will pay for itself in no time, not to mention that it is saving our planet. Nature man, I am impressed with your extensive research and appreciate your insight, my one question is do you know of any other states (other than the small plants in NC) who are making efforts towards a similar green future?
ReplyDeleteHey nature man. I really appreciate your blog on how you research all these new green technology. It really inspires me to get involved as well, broadcasting and educating others the use of green technology.
ReplyDeleteThanks!