Could California actually be powered by nothing other than rooftop
solar + parking lot installations? Or is that just a piece of shiny
rhetoric used by the proponents of solar energy in the state? According to a new study just published in the journal Nature Climate Change,
California apparently could get all of the electricity that it
currently uses from nothing other than rooftop solar + parking lot solar
installations.
While the research and findings are of course interesting, it should
be remembered that “could” is a far different word from “will.”
Political will and societal drive are important factors influencing how
much these sectors grow. Either way, though, the research is more fuel
for the pro-solar fire, which can help to ignite the political will and
societal drive.
Something that is very interesting that the new findings reveal,
though, is that, while there’s been fair amount of support in recent
years for massive utility-scale solar projects, all that’s really needed
is more rooftop and parking lot solar installations… in California, at
least. I guess that would be the dilemma facing a place like California,
though, wouldn’t it be? All that’s really needed is a consistent and
well-supported low-key approach, but all the resources seem to be
directed towards extravagant, arguably over-complex, solutions.
I suppose that proponents of concentrating solar power (CSP) projects
are probably taking some offense right now, but, speaking for myself, I
certainly can’t say that I’m surprised to hear that rooftop + parking
lot solar hold so much potential all on their own — but then again, I’m
not a fan of excessively complex “gee whiz” projects, so I suppose that
of course that’s what I’d think.
Rather than offer some arguments here, I’ll simply ask the question:
Why spend hundreds of millions on huge projects out in the middle of the
desert (that will be subject to huge transmission losses) when you can
simply build the generating infrastructure near the point of use (in
otherwise underutilized space)?
Here’s the study, for those interested.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/23/nothing-rooftop-parking-lot-solar-installations-needed-power-california/