Deutschland über alles - Solar success

OK so I don't know the validity of this report but if true, or even close to true, this has to be great news.

Solar power coming your way? Do you think the Oil companies will or are working against alternative power source technology? Whats your thoughts on an alternative to carbon based fuels in general?

READ FULL REPORT HERE

Precis below...

(Reuters) - German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity per hour - equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity - through the midday hours on Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank said.

Norbert Allnoch, director of the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) in Muenster, said the 22 gigawatts of solar power per hour fed into the national grid on Saturday met nearly 50 percent of the nation's midday electricity needs.

The record-breaking amount of solar power shows one of the world's leading industrial nations was able to meet a third of its electricity needs on a work day, Friday, and nearly half on Saturday when factories and offices were closed.

Government-mandated support for renewables has helped Germany became a world leader in renewable energy and the country gets about 20 percent of its overall annual electricity from those sources.

Germany has nearly as much installed solar power generation capacity as the rest of the world combined and gets about four percent of its overall annual electricity needs from the sun alone. It aims to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.

Need a method of energy storage and then we'll be sorted.

I'm all for it in theory.

[maviczap]

Vor sprung durk tecnik

I'm up for anything that helps out.

Why doesn't the Gov pay for every house in the UK to have Solar panels on the roof? Surely that would reduce our need for power stations, I know its not a constant power source, but I bet you could have a UPS that powers things like lights once the sun goes in?

[embee]

Certainly true that if you want to see solar panels, go to Germany. Everything that doesn't move is covered in them. I saw a new supermarket on the outskirts of a town with an adjoining solar farm the same size, obviously part and parcel of the development.

I think they're generally pretty ugly, but it's free energy.

As an aside, I do wish journalists would learn a little bit of science, "gigawatts of power per hour" is wrong terminology, they either mean "gigawatts of power" or "gigawatt-hours" (which is energy) or maybe they mean something else?

[Fallout]

That's interesting, but why not have both? I saw one of those James May thingies the other day, where some yankydoodle boffins have built a machine that creates petrol from thin air. Basically it uses solar energy to power a laser that can create the necessary heat to rebond carbon (from air) and hydrogren (from water) into hydrocarbons (i.e. like petrol).

So basically they make petrol from thin air and water using the sun. That's pretty bad ass.

[Mr Speirs]

I was thinking about this a few years ago and wondered if a small set of solar panels and a small wind turbine mounted on top if each house could generate enough electricity to make it worthwhile. Even to generate enough to power internal lights...if an entire house was set up to be energy effiecient I.e led or low wattage bulbs etc the impact would be greater. Or the entire lighting ring to be on a 12v ring running from a car battery which can be charged from the solar panels and wind turbine.

[widepants]

the housing association I rent from have installed solar panels to all of their homes.That is over 1200 houses.

[timwilky]

Having spent the last 30 years supporting the build of power stations around the world, I read these reports with dread and then realise they never tell the full story.

Just how green is solar power. How much carbon is generated in the production of a panel?

They best use of free or excess energy was in my opinion the build of pumped storage hydro systems such as Dinorwig in Wales. Where excess electricity is used to pump water to higher reservoirs and when demand hits the water is then released through turbines to generate electricity.

Although I have to say if it wasn't for the nimbys, I would like to see a rise in small local combined heat and power systems. Probably powered from refuse digesters. Or even small local fuel cell systems where hydrogen could be generated from the use of daytime solar and then used to fuel the night time fuel cells.

On my recent trip to Germany I was impressed by how many solar and wind farms they have.

"Germany has nearly as much installed solar power generation capacity as the rest of the world combined" = mind boggling!

[L3nny]

Originally Posted by The Idle Biker

22 gigawatts of electricity per hour - equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity

Or enough to run 18 Flux Capacitors!