Alternative Energy Debate

By: Rosaire, Danielle, Lisa, Gabby, and Cadence

Solar Energy

Investment in Solar Power

Regional: NoneNew York State: New Yorks budget plan included 2 new

tax credits, called NY- Sun Initiative. Under this plan the commercial customers would be excluded from sales tax on the solar electric systems. They also have a plan to help homeowners afford green energy upgrades.

US: Retakes #1 Spot in Clean Energy Investment in 2011, The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that investment grew to a record $263 billion in 2011, a 6.5 percent increase over the previous year, with the United States beating out China in the race to secure private clean energy finances and investment

New Solar Advancements

New York City Plans Solar Power Plant, Wind Farm For Staten Island's

Freshkills Landfill The landfill held the city's garbage for 53 years, handling more than 2

billion tons of trash before being closed in March 2001. It reopened briefly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack as a sorting place for

debris from the World Trade Center. With 75 acres available for lease, city officials say the project at the closed landfill could

generate enough energy to power 6,000 homes and would double the city's renewable energy capacity. generate 20 megawatts of

renewable power

NRG is the majority owner of the 290-megawatt Agua Caliente plant that First Solar is building near Yuma, Arizona, and the two companies previously teamed up on a 21-MW plant in Blythe, California, in 2009 and the 20-MW Road Runner plant in New Mexico last year

In Silicon valley they just released the most efficient solar panels to date. Based on the new Gen 2 Solar Cells, the SPR-315 solar panel will get a whopping 22% photovoltaic (PV) efficiency – over 10% more than the standard 7-12%

Air-Port-City proposes to create a floating international city in the sky, kept afloat by solar-fueled Aerogel -- a "lighter-than-air" material developed for the aerospace industry. The idea is to establish a residential urban district for migrants which is itself migratory, constantly crossing and blurring boundaries

Nation Wide Advancements

Solar PlantsRegional: NoneNew York State: None, but many

NYS citizens have installed solar panels on their houses

US: There are more than 30 utility-scale solar power plants in the US of at least one megawatt or larger. Most are in the west/on the west coast in California and Nevada

California: Has about 20. The largest solar power installation in the world is the Solar Energy Generating System facility in California, which has a total capacity of 354 megawatts

Amount of electricity produced

Regional: None

New York State: None –but many NYS homes utilize solar panels as a source of electricity

US: 0.03% of all electricity produced in the US is from solar (114 gigawatt hours of power of a total of 402,088)

Comparison Solar vs. Wind Wind turbines are spacey and potentially noisy, so they work better in

rural than urban locations. it’s more important to live in a windy place if you want to use wind

turbines than it is to live in a sunny place if you want to use solar panels

Solar vs. Hydropower Large dams are extremely expensive to build Building large dams can cause geological damage leading to

earthquakes. Building dams alters the natural water table level and can negatively

affect wildlife such as salmon.

Solar vs. Biomass Burning biomass creates CO2 emissions, though less than fossil fuels

like coal. Solar energy doesn’t create emissions as it produces power. Biomass is usually used for fuels rather than electricity production,

though it can be used either way. Solar energy is easier to get a hold of. In a small number of areas are you given the option to purchase electricity from biomass (wood & plants)

ProsRegional:• No noise is created with solar power, unlike wind power, hydro and coal-fired electric plants, so

people won’t complain about the noise• It reduces greenhouse gas and cuts down on acid rain and air pollution. Starting local can make a

big difference.• Solar power system require virtually no maintenance, and can last for decades• Solar power is not influenced by market conditions, natural disasters or global conflict, so the cost

doesn’t fluctuate

New York State: Fossil Fuels Consumption Decrease-could drop by 4 percent and carbon dioxide emission by 3

percent if the state increases its solar power to 5,000 megawatts by the year 2025 Job Growth- the report estimated that 3,200 jobs would be created by the solar energy industry if

solar demand rises over the next 10 years.

US: No pollution- harmful chemicals such as carbon dioxide, sulfer dioxide, nitrogen oxide nor

mercury is released in the atmosphere. It doesn’t burn fuel and generates no emissions. Saves money- After the initial setting up is done, in the long run there is potential for utilities bills

to be close to nothing. Less Consumption- Since no fuel is required, money on gas will be cheaper Tax breaks- the U.S. government offers a tax credit of up to $2,000 Almost Maintenance free- 20 year warranties are being offered by many manufacturers Energy credits- If your solar system saves more energy than is used, you are eligible to receive

energy credit through net metering. Sustainable & Renewable-Solar Energy will never run out. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and

natural gas are non-renewable and dwindling.

ConsRegional: Money to start it- the installation and panels have high prices Climate Variability- the number of hours of sunlight will determine the number of panels you’ll

need and what the wattage of power will be. Aesthetics- Solar panels take up quite a bit of roof space and to some and aren’t pleasant to look

at. Not 24/7-They only work when the sun is shining. At night you will have to rely on stored energy

from net metering or have an alternative system.

New York State: Cost-There could be a rise from 0.1 percent to 5 percent by 2025. almost as much as

9 billion dollars Amount of skill- installation workers area are still small in number, which could

interfere with the process of rooftop leasing to feed energy into the grid Weather- In New York, the weather is iffy. It’s not definite that the sun will be out all

the time and solar panels are dependent on the sun’s radiation.

US: Cost-There could be a rise from 0.1 percent to 5 percent by 2025. almost as much as 9 billion

dollars Amount of skill- installation workers area are still small in number, which could interfere with the

process of rooftop leasing to feed energy into the grid Weather- In New York, the weather is iffy. It’s not definite that the sun will be out all the time and

solar panels are dependent on the sun’s radiation.