| Renewable energy sources will eventually be the solution to the problem of the eventual depletion of non-renewable sources. Still, the replacement must be done very gradually, as technical and scientific advances progress to make them affordable and competitive. As this article analyzes, the "solution" seems to be becoming a means of enrichment for certain sectors and electoral propaganda in the political sphere instead of being a transformation that benefits everyone. |
Is Photovoltaic Power Competitive?
[ First published at California Policy Center ]
As reported in Politico, “Westlands Water District, which supplies some of California’s driest farmland in the Central Valley, is making plans to convert some 200 square miles of it — an area roughly the size of Detroit — into what would be the largest solar installation in the world.”
The motivation for this is understandable enough. If we can’t grow crops, let’s grow electrons.
It’s necessary to note that several assumptions underlying that motivation are debatable. The answer to what Politico’s writers characterized as “finicky water supplies” is to build more water supply infrastructure and reform delta management. It’s also incumbent on proponents of massive photovoltaic installs to evaluate the heat island impact of 200 square miles of absorbent black panels. We must also mention the biggest elephant in the room, the fact that even with battery storage so photovoltaic panels can supply continuous electricity day and night, there are massive seasonal fluctuations. In 2023, California’s utility-scale photovoltaics generated 4,456 gigawatt-hours in June, but only 1,832 in December. If California goes even bigger on photovoltaics, good luck selling your power in June.
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Hambruna (1932-33) causada por el desatino soviético-estalinista.
that they create real wealth. The real enemy here is the State and its central bank, the Fed.