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Solar Path to Reducing Water Use For Energy

circleofblue.org -- Developers have presented the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees almost all of the Mojave, with 75 applications to build solar facilities in the desert

BLM is reviewing 33 other solar power plant applications in Arizona

Solar photovoltaic power, which generates energy directly from sunlight, uses virtually no water..

The U.S. wind energy industry, which generated 35,000 megawatts last year, and has been growing by more than 35 percent annually over the last five years, uses no water..

..energy generated from wave power that does not use fresh water..

..Cholla Power Plant in northeastern Arizona near Holbrook, withdraws and uses nearly 43 million gallons of water a day..

In 2009 and 2010, utilities added 25 new coal-fired plants that have a generating

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Submitted Sep 02, 2010 By: teafortwo

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remay Champion Author Houston Posts:4,696 Points:1,654,720 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Sep 3, 2010 8:57:47 AM Ignore remay Report Abuse "Environmentalists are mixed about whether the affects of solar-thermal outweigh the benefits" Affects? What "affects" would outweigh the benefits?
waynemustang Champion Author Indiana Posts:4,661 Points:1,236,205 Joined:Nov 2006	Message Posted: Sep 3, 2010 8:39:56 AM Ignore waynemustang Report Abuse Using water is not the same as consuming water that can't be used again.
tomok Champion Author Portland Posts:24,637 Points:1,878,610 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Sep 3, 2010 12:43:53 AM Ignore tomok Report Abuse Renewable energy from solar, wind, thermal, tidal, hydro and/or nuclear. Solar cells and wind turbines installed on house roofs to help power the house and maybe sell surplus electricity back to the power company. Be your own electric company and do not rely on your electrical supplier, they can raise your rates and the grid electricity could be ‘down’ during storms or other events.
Vette1967 Champion Author Albany Posts:3,654 Points:815,950 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Sep 3, 2010 12:30:48 AM Ignore Vette1967 Report Abuse A shortage of drinkable water have sparked wars in the past.
Chris46 Champion Author Dayton Posts:17,130 Points:1,672,420 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 11:44:15 PM Ignore Chris46 Report Abuse The Earth has always had the same amount of water. It can neither be created nor taken away from. It is either a solid/liquid/gas. THAT is the key to any water shortage!
rfaramir Veteran Author Texas Posts:466 Points:406,005 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 7:51:42 PM Ignore rfaramir Report Abuse The only shortages of drinkable water are where (private) property rights are not respected. In other words, it is a shortage of capitalism, not water. Water is everywhere, but not usable everywhere, so capital is needed to extract, purify, and transport it. If this is done in a free market way, those who live farther away from the source pay more, making it available and naturally rationed, since what you pay more for you husband your use of. Government interference, especially trying to make water 'free' and available to 'everyone' causes shortages, since its goals are impossible in the real world of scarcity, but they try to do the impossible by imposing force. Privatization solves the 'shortage' problem, and the imposing force problem. This article is just skimming the surface, since it takes a merely technical angle, when the real problem is a political one. The technology is good, though, just not enough. It can never be enough when the problem is the government-should-provide-and-regulate mindset.
WCCurtis Champion Author San Bernardino Posts:3,304 Points:1,360,820 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 5:56:38 PM Ignore WCCurtis Report Abuse Since the World has a shortage of Drinkable water anything that saves water is good.
ItisAJeepThing Champion Author Tucson Posts:15,380 Points:1,683,605 Joined:Oct 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 5:18:43 PM Ignore ItisAJeepThing Report Abuse mplato, another wasteful idea of resourses....namely land use. Wrong, name one other practical use for the vast expanses of uninhabited, unfarmable desert here in central-western Arizona, south-eastern California and south-central Nevada.
t_flor Champion Author Illinois Posts:2,195 Points:720,890 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 5:15:03 PM Ignore t_flor Report Abuse I still like the idea of solar power the best
lgwhitlock Champion Author Chico Posts:5,130 Points:1,223,470 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 5:05:23 PM Ignore lgwhitlock Report Abuse I don't care where the green energy comes from, to me all forms of green energy are good...
julius1st4 Champion Author Ontario Posts:3,137 Points:1,026,070 Joined:Jul 2003	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 4:56:53 PM Ignore julius1st4 Report Abuse Pretty soon we'll have Solar Cells & Windmills in every "Rural" property.
dan30thz28 Champion Author New Jersey Posts:3,680 Points:1,535,970 Joined:Feb 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 4:53:10 PM Ignore dan30thz28 Report Abuse Solar technology needs to continue to improve in order to get us off of water using and fossil resources.
leemun Champion Author Utah Posts:3,024 Points:580,740 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 4:46:50 PM Ignore leemun Report Abuse The answer is to perfect the fuel cell.
mplato Champion Author Columbia Posts:5,982 Points:1,364,170 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 4:38:32 PM Ignore mplato Report Abuse another wasteful idea of resourses....namely land use.
Ken2OD Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:6,673 Points:1,506,000 Joined:Dec 2005	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 4:31:29 PM Ignore Ken2OD Report Abuse The Great Lakes Area may become a major battle ground for water rights before all is said and done.
TomJDriver Champion Author London Posts:1,036 Points:302,340 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 4:20:48 PM Ignore TomJDriver Report Abuse I vote MAC48 gets the best reply so far award. Who knew solar projects used large amounts of water except for maintenance? I thought they were using thermal and closed systems now. Build them on roof tops in cooler climates than the desert. Use the brackish water with filters. Have the golf courses use brackish as well. Duh. [Edited by: TomJDriver at 9/2/2010 4:21:37 PM EST]
MAC48 All-Star Author Dallas Posts:728 Points:499,925 Joined:Dec 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 3:39:56 PM Ignore MAC48 Report Abuse It is never wise & frequently foolish to swallow whole heartedly any article from a .org source. This group is trying to use initial water consumption as a means of discouraging the use of or expansion of electric power generation sources that it does not approve of. A much more important comparison would be what is the NET water consumption of the various solar power & coal generation alternatives. Having spent 30+ years in the electric utility business, I have never seen nor heard of a gas, coal or lignite generating plant that did not cool down the water that was turned into steam & subsequently turned back into water after its use to produce electricity. State environmental agencies even test the cooled down water in the cooling ponds to make sure that it will not harm the fish & wild life when the water is returned to its original lake, river, aquifer, etcetera. Do not see the point of this article except to point out that in the arid South West (West Texas to Southern California plus the states of Colorado & Utah) some types of solar power generation will reduce the amount of water that is currently available for agricultural uses & human consumption.
BurtB Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:1,410 Points:1,011,550 Joined:Jun 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 3:15:48 PM Ignore BurtB Report Abuse But even if the Obama BLM lets the plan go thru, the Sierra club will stop it. Solar panel could effect the desert tortise, doncha know.
mmene Champion Author Houston Posts:4,347 Points:938,970 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 3:06:40 PM Ignore mmene Report Abuse I hope to see solar getting more cost-effective in the future but it largely is not so today.
ebowMA Veteran Author Boston Posts:443 Points:607,860 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 3:05:47 PM Ignore ebowMA Report Abuse Fortunately the article is far more coherent than the summary. What does two dots (..) even mean? It's not quite a period, not quite an ellipse. For an old DOS nerd it means "parent directory" but I doubt that's the case here.
Gramps001 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:3,921 Points:1,038,520 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 3:02:28 PM Ignore Gramps001 Report Abuse Is a Sun Tax in our future?
humancry Champion Author Michigan Posts:3,269 Points:733,065 Joined:Nov 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 3:02:24 PM Ignore humancry Report Abuse solar has always been a very viable choice and a smart one as well as wind and water. But getting to the average American budget is another..
balljars Champion Author Michigan Posts:6,135 Points:1,217,150 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 3:00:06 PM Ignore balljars Report Abuse We need more Nuclear power plants.
915Chief Champion Author San Diego Posts:6,061 Points:1,203,245 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:59:58 PM Ignore 915Chief Report Abuse There isn't some desert gnat that will grind this to a halt???
Hugo40 Champion Author Kentucky Posts:5,275 Points:1,151,450 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:58:37 PM Ignore Hugo40 Report Abuse Wait untel the environmental folks hear about all that unwanted developement in the west.
eddmac Champion Author Washington Posts:5,526 Points:1,234,975 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:53:54 PM Ignore eddmac Report Abuse “Sierra Club supports the most efficient power generation technology, but we look at individual projects on a case-by-case basis,” noted spokesman David Graham-Caso. “We’re looking for anything that can help utilities move off coal.” Good
garman87 Champion Author Austin Posts:2,357 Points:1,942,175 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:52:31 PM Ignore garman87 Report Abuse Time to go solar.
BWD Champion Author Charleston Posts:3,116 Points:1,760,940 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:51:06 PM Ignore BWD Report Abuse Still need the coal.
jcool2525 Veteran Author Los Angeles Posts:262 Points:786,615 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:46:30 PM Ignore jcool2525 Report Abuse Sounds great. Let's see how long this takes.
biza4u Champion Author New Haven Posts:6,172 Points:1,163,885 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:46:04 PM Ignore biza4u Report Abuse I am surre all the cactus huggers will be out inj force to block it
TFowler513 Champion Author Memphis Posts:2,582 Points:977,135 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:27:41 PM Ignore TFowler513 Report Abuse Alternatives are the answer!!!
Dipstick1 Champion Author Amarillo Posts:6,621 Points:1,759,910 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:24:53 PM Ignore Dipstick1 Report Abuse Always take the .org messages with a grain.....
nehemiah Champion Author Portland Posts:3,041 Points:551,690 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:23:04 PM Ignore nehemiah Report Abuse why are we not doing more?
firechief Champion Author New York Posts:1,802 Points:1,665,170 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:21:54 PM Ignore firechief Report Abuse solar is the way to go
suzyq2007 Champion Author Dallas Posts:5,020 Points:1,219,975 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:18:00 PM Ignore suzyq2007 Report Abuse keep on using solar energy. just make it where people can benefit from this
PAofFA Champion Author Trenton Posts:2,059 Points:440,345 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:14:32 PM Ignore PAofFA Report Abuse Why can't they tap the energy of the ocean's waves?
EssexAdri Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:1,025 Points:255,725 Joined:Jul 2010	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:14:22 PM Ignore EssexAdri Report Abuse how much will these panels raise the ambient temperature of the area? for weeks we've been getting updates on this story, but that one peice of crucial information keeps getting avoided. if it's not an issue then these specialist need to state that, but their silence in regard to the subject has me concerned.
10k Champion Author North Carolina Posts:16,595 Points:1,787,870 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:12:38 PM Ignore 10k Report Abuse HlenKeller: the sun's rays are free, but you can be darn sure our wonderful government will find a way to tax us for it..
UseLessGasFolks Champion Author Iowa Posts:3,098 Points:837,005 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:11:34 PM Ignore UseLessGasFolks Report Abuse Thats what I was thinking. Just think if we could replace gas burning cars with electric cars charged with solar power.
sjl08203 Champion Author New Jersey Posts:5,865 Points:1,329,350 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:09:40 PM Ignore sjl08203 Report Abuse If they have the land, why not approve them?
HelenKeller Sophomore Author Louisville Posts:133 Points:16,245 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:09:04 PM Ignore HelenKeller Report Abuse It will be funny if, in the future, we're charged to draw energy from the sun.
Texrider49 Champion Author New Haven Posts:1,338 Points:313,085 Joined:Dec 2007	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:02:54 PM Ignore Texrider49 Report Abuse another way to supply electric power to charge the all electric cars.
baitmn Champion Author New Orleans Posts:6,627 Points:1,639,625 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:01:43 PM Ignore baitmn Report Abuse So the GUBMUNT plans for us too us to use air source.
Draco1 Veteran Author Denver Posts:276 Points:68,325 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 2:00:59 PM Ignore Draco1 Report Abuse Bureau of Reclamation is installing solar collecters on top of their buildings at the Denver Federal Center - use whatever space is available.
bills55 Champion Author San Diego Posts:2,207 Points:513,955 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 1:58:58 PM Ignore bills55 Report Abuse I think that these solar plant are great and I hope that build more of them in our south western deserts.
DeeLA Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:2,530 Points:910,625 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 1:58:24 PM Ignore DeeLA Report Abuse It sounds good, but how will this effect the end cost to the consumer?
vandamme Champion Author New York Posts:1,018 Points:117,800 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 1:57:11 PM Ignore vandamme Report Abuse We have plenty more water than sunshine in New York.
Ray_10589 Champion Author New York Posts:2,794 Points:737,670 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 1:56:27 PM Ignore Ray_10589 Report Abuse Now let's get solar affordable!
Italianman Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:1,732 Points:774,945 Joined:Feb 2008	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 1:54:28 PM Ignore Italianman Report Abuse Time to go solar!
byoftDad Champion Author Columbus Posts:3,934 Points:1,132,700 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Sep 2, 2010 1:53:15 PM Ignore byoftDad Report Abuse Way to go solar!!