Tuesday, May 19, 2015 8:00:13 PM
May 19th, 2015
Some folks believe renewable energy land requirements are enormous when it comes to powering homes with solar electricity. But when Tesla Energy announced it had created one of the world’s cheapest home batteries, the Powerwall, designed to be paired with a home’s solar panel electricity generators, a new factor was added to the space calculation: the wall.
The Tesla Energy announcement got a number of people thinking about the scale of land needed to make solar a viable alternative energy option.
Tesla’s description of the Powerwall makes no bones about its functionality:
Powerwall is a home battery that charges using electricity generated from solar panels, or when utility rates are low, and powers your home in the evening. It also fortifies your home against power outages by providing a backup electricity supply. Automated, compact and simple to install, Powerwall offers independence from the utility grid and the security of an emergency backup.
Okay. So much for all the good news about the evolution of solar technologies, especially when it involves the huge issue of energy storage. But what about all the land needed to spur solar energy into more of a mainstream option in addressing the challenges of climate change?
In a Fusion article, Elon Musk pointed out very little land is needed to get rid of all fossil fuel electricity generation in the United States. “It’s really not much,” Elon Musk said. “Most if it will be on rooftops. Not much land is required at all, if you happen to count rooftop solar panels that happen to be generating clean, non-fossil fuel electricity.”
Now blend rooftops with existing walls in the renewable energy mixing bowl, and the amount of space required continues to be beautifully minimal, as those particular spaces for the rooftop and walls are already being used for other essential purposes, such as keeping the structure standing and keeping the rain outside.
Elon Musk Debuts the Tesla Powerwall
One of the first groups to raise this question land requirements for solar energy and provide a useful map, was the Land Art Generator Initiative, which uses art to promote clean energy. In 2009, they calculated that we’d only only have to cover an area a bit bigger than California with solar panels to power the entire world with solar energy.
And just to power the United States? A few counties in Texas.
That represents about 160 million Powerwalls, according to Musk. While large, such a number is realistically scalable, especially so if the drive to address climate change grows.
“The entire night, everything you are experiencing is stored sunlight, Musk said.
According to the US Department of Energy (Energy Information Administration), the world consumption of energy in all of its forms (barrels of petroleum, cubic meters of natural gas, watts of hydro power, etc.) is projected to reach 678 quadrillion Btu (or 715 exajoules) by 2030.
“That may seem like an insane number,” but we have done things like this before, he said. It would take only a couple of years of replicating the rate of new cars and trucks that are swapped into the market each year, about 100 million.
In the face of climate change as we now know it (adding scornful epithets for naysayers) such visionary thinking is remarkably welcome, an about-face from how our world leaders have addressed the realities of carbon and methane emissions.
According to the EIA, renewable energy sources now represent the fastest-growing energy source for world electricity generation, increasing by an average of 2.9% per year from 2006 to 2030. Presently, the majority of solar electricity does not come from rooftop panels. Much of the growth is in hydroelectric power and wind power. Of the 3.3 trillion kilowatt hours of new renewable generation added over the projection period, 1.8 trillion kilowatt hours (54%) is attributed to hydroelectric power and 1.1 trillion kilowatt hours (33%) to wind power.
Here the land requirements for generating renewable electricity increases. Think of the large acreage required to generate grid-fed electricity from towering wind turbines.
The EIA adds, “Other than hydroelectric power, most renewable technologies are not able to compete economically with fossil fuels over the projection period, except in a limited number of niche markets. Government policies and incentives typically are the primary drivers for the construction of renewable generation facilities.”
Hopefully this will change as storage options grow and become more cost-effective and size-friendly, like the Powerwall from Tesla Energy.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/19/renewable-energy-land-requirements-power-us-solar/
Recent MMMW News
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 05/08/2024 12:10:37 PM
- Mass Megawatts Announces Several New Product Lines with Lowest and Competitive Prices as a Source of Generating Revenue in this Fiscal Quarter and to Help Market our Patent Pending Solar Tracker • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 02/22/2024 01:00:00 PM
- Form DEFA14A - Additional definitive proxy soliciting materials and Rule 14(a)(12) material • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 02/12/2024 11:01:42 AM
- Form DEF 14A - Other definitive proxy statements • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 02/09/2024 06:02:22 PM
- Form PRE 14A - Other preliminary proxy statements • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/26/2024 10:03:45 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 01/26/2024 09:20:13 PM
- Form 10-Q - Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 12/06/2023 05:30:56 PM
- Mass Megawatts Announces LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE on Solar Project Sales and Further Cost Reductions Using our Patent Pending Technologies • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 11/28/2023 01:00:00 PM
- Form 10-Q - Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/08/2023 05:05:04 PM
- Mass Megawatts Announces Improvements Bringing Potential Project Payback Within 3 Years Using the Cost Cutting New Patent Pending Concentrated Solar Power Sterling Engine Technology • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 09/06/2023 11:45:37 AM
- Mass Megawatts Announces Improvement to Increase Power Output of an Additional Twenty Percent to the Recently Announced Innovations. Company Seeking UL 3703 Certification of Solar Trackers for Turbocharging Sales • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 08/23/2023 11:32:40 AM
- Mass Megawatts Generated Five Planned Solar Project Sales During August • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 08/11/2023 11:26:20 AM
- Mass Megawatts Plans to Build a Small Community Solar Project With its Newest Technology • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 08/07/2023 12:55:13 PM
- Form 10-K - Annual report [Section 13 and 15(d), not S-K Item 405] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 07/25/2023 08:21:47 PM
- Form QUALIF - Notice of Qualification [Regulation A] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 07/24/2023 04:15:07 AM
- Form 1-A POS - • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 07/19/2023 07:13:54 PM
- Form 1-A POS - • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 07/19/2023 05:25:55 PM
- Mass Megawatts Plans to Apply for OTCQB Status • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 07/12/2023 11:30:00 AM
- Form 1-A POS - • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 07/11/2023 08:38:29 PM
- New Solar Technology To Boost Energy Production • AllPennyStocks.com • 06/29/2023 02:30:00 PM
- Mass Megawatts Announces a New Solar-Power Technology that Boosts Energy Production by More Than 170% • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 06/29/2023 11:40:00 AM
- Mass Megawatts Announces Breakthrough for Lowest-Cost Energy Production with More Details on June 29 • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 06/16/2023 11:07:28 AM
- Mass Megawatts Targets Profitable Fiscal Quarter Ending October 31 and Introduces New Tech for Potential Project Paybacks of Less Than Three Years on June 29 • InvestorsHub NewsWire • 06/09/2023 11:50:17 AM
Avant Technologies Equipping AI-Managed Data Center with High Performance Computing Systems • AVAI • May 10, 2024 8:00 AM
VAYK Discloses Strategic Conversation on Potential Acquisition of $4 Million Home Service Business • VAYK • May 9, 2024 9:00 AM
Bantec's Howco Awarded $4.19 Million Dollar U.S. Department of Defense Contract • BANT • May 8, 2024 10:00 AM
Element79 Gold Corp Successfully Closes Maverick Springs Option Agreement • ELEM • May 8, 2024 9:05 AM
Kona Gold Beverages, Inc. Achieves April Revenues Exceeding $586,000 • KGKG • May 8, 2024 8:30 AM
Epazz plans to spin off Galaxy Batteries Inc. • EPAZ • May 8, 2024 7:05 AM