Saturday, November 22nd, 2014

Report: America could power itself 100 times over with solar energy

Author: Chris Mooney
Source: The Washington Post
Publication Date: November 20 at 12:00 PM
Link: Report: America could power itself 100 times over with solar energy

Stephan: This is the latest on solar and after reading it I was left with a sense of anger at how thoroughly the carbon energy industries control the governments of Canada and the United States. A 10 year old could read this story and the proceeding one about the tar sands pipeline and tell you that smart money would be backing solar, not trying to force an aging 20th century technology onto an unwilling electorate.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 19: Solar panels cover the employee parking lot on the Patagonia corporate headquarters campus in Ventura, California on Friday, September 19, 2014.
Credit: David Walter Banks/For The Washington Post

It is widely known that among all the sources of alternative energy, the one with the greatest potential is solar. How could it be otherwise? Staggering amounts of solar radiation strike the Earth each day; the only trick is capturing more of it.

In a new report, the Environment America Research and Policy Center seeks to visualize and quantify this potential as it pertains to the United States. The report argues that the U.S. “has the potential to produce more than 100 times as much electricity from solar PV and concentrating solar power (CSP) installations as the nation consumes each year.” It adds that every […]

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