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With the effects of the Gulf oil spill looking worse by the day, the need for catastrophe-free clean energy solutions like solar plants and wind farms—where giant air spills pose the only equivalent risk—is becoming increasingly clear. Here's a quick look at some innovative and exciting solar projects from around the world.
Growing food and electricity under one roof
A project in Italy is testing a greenhouse that has a built-in photovoltaic system. The idea is to see if and how well crops will grow in the greenhouse—which has panels built into the structure that are cylindrical in shape rather than the usual flat, intended to allow more light to pass through. If successful, how great would it be for a greenhouse to able to produce both food and electricity.
Transforming brownfields to solar plants
A 1MW solar array will transform a brownfield in Haverhill, MA into a source of clean energy and green jobs. Similar projects have taken hold in Pennsylvania and with political backing, could soon pick up speed in New Jersey. As CleanTechnica explains, former industrial sites are ripe for this type of project—they already have utility connections installed and adequate roads built, which means fewer new resources will be consumed in constructing the project site. Often, brownfields's proximity to existing communities also means a source of employment as well as renewable energy for local populations, but less need for commuting (and fewer transportation emissions) and for long-distance transmission of power—one of the current problems in bringing renewable energy to the grid on a large scale.
Bringing solar to the community
Community solar gardens are likely to be sprouting soon in Colorado, thanks to a recent bill sponsored by the state that will give people the option, if they can't install solar panels on their own homes, to buy into community solar installations.
Organic orchards, meet solar power
Also in Colorado, an organic farmer powers his four peach orchards with a 27 kW solar carport designed by High Noon Solar.
Improving storage capacity
California-based SolarReserve is building a solar plant in Nevada with a molten salt storage system that will allow it to power 75,000 homes during peak hours, including at night and on cloudy days. And Abengoa Solar, a company that just brought a 50MW solar plant online in Spain using 980,000 square feet of mirrors to concentrate solar radiation onto a heat-absorbing pipe, is currently working in Arizona on what will be one of the world's largest solar plants. "Solana," a 280 MW plant outside with thermal storage capacity, will be able to supply 70,000 homes around Phoenix with power even when the sun goes down.
