solar panels in the mojave desert
Solar Panels in the Mojave Desert
Overview
In 1971, a husband and wife, Aden and Marjorie Meinel, patented an idea to produce solar panels in the Mojave Desert. The solar panels they proposed were to stretch through the Mojave Desert for 5,000 miles and would collect 1,000,000 megawatts of electrical power. The electrical energy would then be stored in a manufacturing facility locally so that the solar energy could be converted and used by millions of people. The Meinel’s proposal was dismissed in the 1970’s, but recently, solar panel plants have begun to sprout in the Mojave Desert. There are currently fourteen pending solar projects that have been proposed to be built in the Mojave Desert. There are also currently already four solar plants built there.
Benefits
1. Provides clean energy for thousands of homes
2. If you use the waste heat to desalinate seawater, you can produce millions of gallons of fresh, clean water a day
3. Its free!!!!
4. Decentralization of power
5. Creates jobs
a. Has created 100,000 so far
6. Avoids politics and price volatility
7. Saves ecosystems from being destroyed from mining non-renewable resources
Consequences
1. Uses a lot of land
2. Doesn’t work if it isn’t sunny
3. Cost of installing solar panels
4. Destruction of desert habitat and desert animals
5. Influx of people in desert areas
Our Opinion In our opinion, installing solar panels in the Mojave Desert is ultimately good despite the negative consequences because it’s a free source of energy that can also produce millions of gallons of drinkable water for people who struggle to find clean water every day. The cost is high to install solar panels, but it would eventually pay off down the road and could potentially provide our nation with tons of money that we could save from using non-renewable sources.
Where Is It? The Mojave Desert is located in southeastern and central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and Northwestern Arizona in the
Overview
In 1971, a husband and wife, Aden and Marjorie Meinel, patented an idea to produce solar panels in the Mojave Desert. The solar panels they proposed were to stretch through the Mojave Desert for 5,000 miles and would collect 1,000,000 megawatts of electrical power. The electrical energy would then be stored in a manufacturing facility locally so that the solar energy could be converted and used by millions of people. The Meinel’s proposal was dismissed in the 1970’s, but recently, solar panel plants have begun to sprout in the Mojave Desert. There are currently fourteen pending solar projects that have been proposed to be built in the Mojave Desert. There are also currently already four solar plants built there.
Benefits
1. Provides clean energy for thousands of homes
2. If you use the waste heat to desalinate seawater, you can produce millions of gallons of fresh, clean water a day
3. Its free!!!!
4. Decentralization of power
5. Creates jobs
a. Has created 100,000 so far
6. Avoids politics and price volatility
7. Saves ecosystems from being destroyed from mining non-renewable resources
Consequences
1. Uses a lot of land
2. Doesn’t work if it isn’t sunny
3. Cost of installing solar panels
4. Destruction of desert habitat and desert animals
5. Influx of people in desert areas
Our Opinion In our opinion, installing solar panels in the Mojave Desert is ultimately good despite the negative consequences because it’s a free source of energy that can also produce millions of gallons of drinkable water for people who struggle to find clean water every day. The cost is high to install solar panels, but it would eventually pay off down the road and could potentially provide our nation with tons of money that we could save from using non-renewable sources.
Where Is It? The Mojave Desert is located in southeastern and central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and Northwestern Arizona in the