Massive solar array to help power the Googleplex

www.pocket-lint.co.uk...

Just saw this bit of news. Hope this starts a trend in Silicon valley! I also hope they get into Green Roof technology, get a double bonus there.

The solar panels will put out 1.6 megawatts of power, and will be the largest solar panel installation on a corporate campus in the US. The roofs of the four main buildings of the “Googleplex” will be covered by solar panels, while some car parks will be shaded by them.

Alltogether, the solar array will provide 1/3rd of Googles on-site energy demand. I really had no idea that Google was such a power hungry company.

[edit on 17-10-2006 by sardion2000]

[edit on 18-10-2006 by sardion2000]

Oh man if you like that, you need to read this
www.businessweek.com...

The world's biggest solar-power plant -- that's what Stirling Energy Systems could soon be building in California's Mojave Desert. The Phoenix-based upstart last week won a major commitment from Southern California Edison (SCE.PB ).

For 20 years, the utility will buy all the electricity that Stirling can generate at a 500-megawatt (MW) solar-energy farm near Victorville. Previously, the most ambitious plan for solar power was the 12-MW Solarpark Gut Erlasse, near Arnstein, Germany.

What will sprout on Stirling Energy's 4,500-acre desert farm? Thousands of giant dish-shaped mirrors. Each 37-foot-diameter dish will track the sun and focus its heat rays on an oil-barrel-size contraption suspended in front, like the antenna on a satellite-TV dish. Inside the barrel, the heat will be harnessed to drive a small, 25-kilowatt power generator. If local power lines can be upgraded to handle even more juice, Stirling Energy could enlarge its farm to 850 MW, and SoCal Edison would take all of that, too.

850MW!? Thats sick man!

Now imagine this, using a fraction of that power to run pipelines running water from the gulf of Mexico, into hydrogen refineries in the southwest plains states to become one of the largest producers of 21st century fuel!

It looks to be the plan soon. I think I will be purchasing some of this Sterling energies stock ASAP to add to my child's portfolio for his future.

Impressive project that rings a bell. I think I've read about this years ago. Good to see it's actually getting built.

There is another project that I've been following for a couple years and it too will hopefully get built by the end of the decade.

Solar tower video 1

China, I believe, is planning on building a dozen or so larger versions of these things to help hold back the Gobi desert encroachment and to help provide electricity for irrigation for farmers. Australia is planning on building a couple, it was supposed to start building this year, but alas, red tape still to be dealt with. I'll look for updates later if you're interested. Here is their website.

Enviromission Homepage

About H2. I'm not much of a fan for it's use in a regular transportation economy. I'm still firmly a believer of Plug-In Electric Drive Flexi-Fuel Hybrids(the Engine will be rigged to output Juice instead of Torque to power individual electric motors on each wheel(possibly multiple ones as well)) and pure EV vehicles which get their power primarily from the Sun, Gravity and Heat.

I see H2's usefullness in the skies. Just imagine Zeplines that carry at least half the amount of a huge container ship yet move stuff around for pennies per ton due to the unique power sources.

Imagine a Zeppline so huge that the surface itself is enough to provide electricity to either electrolyze water for power or drive the propellers directly depending on light conditions.

Design the craft so that only about 40 % of the juice gathered during the day is needed for full cruising speed, the excess will be dumped into huge battery banks to be used at nighttime to electrolyze water into hydrogen. The exhaust will not be expelled but recaptured and condensed by running through tubes near the hull, where its a lot cooler at higher altitudes. They wouldn't compete with local cargo flights and transportation trucks, they would compete with cargo ships.

As for Biofuel, I see a bright future for it in Industry, Agriculture, Ranches, and Transportation Trucks.

Here is one more link to digest.

MIT designs giant portable wind turbines

[edit on 18-10-2006 by sardion2000]

[edit on 18-10-2006 by sardion2000]