Plants Huge
Instead of building huge solar energy plants in the desert...?
Why aren't we putting solar panels on top of houses and commercial buildings?! Wouldn't this make more sense?
Not really. At least, not until photovoltaic prices plummet some more!
You save a bit of money by not having to transport the power that far, but if you're in a building you either have to use the energy straight away, or store it in batteries (expensive), or put it back into the grid (so you're still getting grid inefficiencies).
The cheapest forms of solar power are concentrating solar power (CSP) and thin film photovoltaics. CSP can't really be done on rooftops*, and the two cheapest thin film technologies are not available for residential use yet (FirstSolar sell CdTe panels, but only on a commercial basis. Solyndra and NanoSolar are working on CIGS, but not many panels for sale yet). So residential panels tend to be silicon.
Larger plants also get economies of scale: you can build modules close together and save on wiring, make the most efficient use of inverters etc, which all save money.
In the UK it costs somewhere between £4,000-6,000 per kWp of residential solar power if you buy a 4kW system. Waldpolenz solar park in Germany used thin film cells and economies of scale to cost less than £3,000/kWp and this was before solar cell prices fell last year.
Finally, deserts are just much, much sunnier. In the Mojave desert, you can expect to generate about 2,200kWh per year per kW of installed solar power. On a Manchester rooftop you can expect about 750-900kWh.
So in summary: economies of scale and better tech means that larger solar parks sometimes work out at as little as half the price per unit of power compared to rooftops. And being in a desert more than halves the price again, relative to being on a rooftop in the UK. A 75%+ cost saving can justify extra transmission costs!
Ofc, in some areas it's economic to put solar cells on rooftops, and it'll become more useful as time goes on and prices fall. And there are the advantages of using power close to where it's generated and not taking up any extra land. So we will see solar power on rooftops becoming more and more important, but desert solar has big advantages.
 Toro Blueberry Plant Huge Berries Early Self Fertile  US $7.99
|
 COLORFUL Sugar Cane Palm HUGE 24 30 inches LIVE Plant US $24.95
|
 Agave variegated rare succulent plant cactus huge 4 L US $7.99
|
 Hosta BIG DADDYHUGE BLUE HOSTA Live plant US $5.05
|
 Hosta Blue AngelHUGE BLUE HOSTALive plant US $3.28
|
 HOLLYHOCK Charter Double Biennial HUGE PERENNIAL PLANT US $6.99
|
 6 ORGANIC PEPPERMINT PLANTS HUGE BARE ROOT WILL GROW US $9.99
|
 Paph Druid Spring Huge In Spike ORCHID PLANT US $11.99
|
 HUGE Water Hyacinth Live pond Plant Floating US $2.50
|
 Bergenia Huge Leaf Ruby Pink Blooms 1 Live Plant US $4.75
|
 HUGE LARGE BLOOMS PURE WHITE JAPANESE ROSE PLANT SEEDS US $3.09
|
 Rare Huge Lacey Elegant Lady Fern Live Plant Grows 4 ft US $3.99
|
 Hoya Carnosa Cv Ruba HUGE Plant US Seller US $29.99
|
 Huge Plants Tobacco Seeds Cigarettes Tropical look 1000 US $6.50
|
 COLORFUL Teddy Bear Palm HUGE 30 36 inches LIVE Plant US $39.95
|
 Hathikana Plant Leea macrophylla Huge Leaf 1 Plant US $39.99
|
 Stapeliad Gigantea Huge Blooms Rooted Plant US $8.95
|
 Agave variegated rare succulent plant cactus huge 2 L US $2.99
|
 Big Plant Pink Peony 8 inch Huge double bloom flowers US $14.99
|
 Big Plant White Peony 8 inch Huge double bloom flowers US $14.99
|
 Hoya archboldiana Pink Huge plant Exact size Blooming US $39.99
|
 Agave variegated rare succulent plant cactus huge 6 L US $14.99
|
 Grow the most tobacco from these seeds Get huge plants US $7.85
|
 Lobivia winteriana huge rare cactus plant cacti R639 US $9.99
|
 African Violet Sansoucy Coco Huge 9 in Plant US $4.95
|
 SUNSPOT SUNFLOWER 20 SEEDS HUGE FLOWERS ON TINY PLANTS US $2.50
|
 COLORFUL Sugar Cane Palm HUGE 2 Feet tall LIVE Plant US $24.95
|
 Calabash GOURD Tree LIVE Plant Seedling HUGE FRUITS 10b US $9.99
|
 African violet plant Lyons Spectacular huge blooms US $3.99
|
 African violet PLUG starter plant MELLOW SUNSHINE HUGE US $4.50
|
 Uvaria grandiflora Rare Annona Plants Red Huge Flower US $39.99
|
 Mammillaria perbella huge cacti rare cactus plant R802 US $12.99
|
 Giant Viper Plant 25 Seeds Echium pininana HUGE US $4.99
|
 Perennial Helleborus Huge Gallon Blooming Size Plant US $9.99
|
 Goniothalamus giganteus Rare Annona Plant Huge flower US $39.99
|
 DIOON MEJIAE CYCAD HUGE 5 GALLON LIVE PLANT US $52.99
|
 Keystone Giant Sweet Pepper 48 Plants Huge US $19.99
|
 NANKING Manchu CHERRY Prunus huge 1 plant 3 Z 2 US $10.00
|
 Hapala Palm RARE LIVE Tropical Plant HUGE 18 24inches US $39.95
|
 huge jalisco monticolla tillandsia airplant air plant US $29.99
|
 PUYA VENUSTA BIG HUGE 5 SEEDS THATS 5 PLANTS US $1.45
|
 Phalaenopsis gigantea Rare Huge Species Orchid Plant US $9.99
|
 20 Huge Graft Plant Variegated Plumeria Gold Unyamanee US $24.99
|
 White Hydrangea Plants huge blooms 2 Plants US $7.95
|
 TEDDY BEAR GIANT HUGE 5 SEEDS THATS 5 PLANTS US $1.45
|
| Powered by phpBay Pro |
 |
North Carolina Giant Watermelon -10 Seeds- HUGE 200 lbs
Sale Price: $3.80  |
Description90 days. Citrullus lanatus. Plant produces huge watermelons as large as 200 pounds. Very flavorful crisp bright red flesh. The rind is striped and resistant to bruising. Impress your neighbors by growing a huge watermelon in your backyard. Features
|
 |
Giant Saguaro Cactus 20 Seeds - Carnegea gigantea -HUGE
Sale Price: $1.99 Average Rating: |
DescriptionCACTUS: Cactus, the common name for a family of desert plants. The plural is cacti or cactuses. Most species bear sharp, needlelike spines, which protect the plants from foraging desert animals. Cacti are famed for their ability to resist drought, which they owe to the fact that moisture from inside the plant evaporates very slowly through the plant's skin... Features
|
 |
Dills Atlantic Giant Pumpkin 15 Seeds -HUGE
Sale Price: $2.99 Average Rating: |
DescriptionPUMPKIN: The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." Pumpkins are grown all around the world for a variety of reasons ranging from agricultural purposes to commercial and ornamental sales... Features
|
 |
Plant Manager T-shirt, 420 Weed, Pot, Smoking Men's Funny Shirts
Sale Price: $9.99 - $13.95 |
DescriptionOur T-shirts are made of a 100% fully machine washable cotton/poly blend for a cool and comfortable fit every time. They feature insanely funny phrases and pictures. Shocking and bold, stand out at the bar, school or just lounge around the house. |
 |
Plant Manager Sweatshirt, 420 Weed, Pot, Smoking Hoodies
Sale Price: $23.95 |
DescriptionOur Sweatshirts are made of a 100% fully machine washable cotton/poly blend for a warm and comfortable fit every time. They feature insanely funny phrases and pictures. Shocking and bold, stand out at the bar, school or just lounge around the house. |
 |
Vinyl Wall Art Decal Sticker Tree Leaves Grass Decoration Huge 54"x72"
Sale Price: $31.00 Average Rating: |
DescriptionThe newest interior design trend is adding vinyl art on interior walls. It's easier than hiring an artist and a lot cheaper. The smaller pieces can be put up within minutes. The larger pieces takes a little longer... Features
|
 |
Vinyl Wall Art Decal Sticker Tree Leaves Grass Huge 6ft Tall
Sale Price: $31.00 |
DescriptionThe newest interior design trend is adding vinyl art on interior walls. It's easier than hiring an artist and a lot cheaper. The smaller pieces can be put up within minutes. The larger pieces takes a little longer... Features
|
|
SAUDI ARABIA: Huge oil windfall prompts investment of $23,000,000,000 to modernize oil refineries an undertake major petrochemical projects, SAUDI ARAMCO ... & Plant Operations in the Developing World
Sale Price: $5.95 |
|
DescriptionThis digital document is an article from WWP-Report on Engineering Construct & Plant Operations in the Developing World, published by Worldwide Projects, Inc. on June 1, 2005. The length of the article is 509 words... |
