California's Solar Energy

On Wednesday, September 27, 2010, the California Energy Commission approved “nearly 1,000 megawatts of solar installation for the desert.” By the end of 2010, California wants to extract 20% of their power from renewable sources. California is taking big steps toward using natural resources, utilizing, directly, the one thing where all of the Earth’s energy comes from; the sun. Two projects make up the 1,000 megawatts. They are called the Genesis Solar Energy Project (250 megawatts) and Imperial Valley Solar Project (709 megawatts).

These projects combined call for 2,000 construction jobs and 200 permanent jobs. In this economy, these job opportunities are a blessing for some. Which companies get this publicity? The first one is NextEra Energy Resources. Their technique consists of curved mirrors that collect the sun’s rays. The heat from this will then heat up fluid, producing steam. This steam will run the generators. The second company is Tessera. They are going to use solar dishes, which also collect the sun’s rays. Tessera has run into environmentalist problems because the construction site is home to the flat-tailed horned lizard and the endangered tortoise. However, they have agreed to not build on dry creek beds because of flood control.

This article was of interest to me because the sun emits so much energy, that it is amazing that we cannot catch it to use every single watt of it. All energy on Earth comes from the sun. The plants we eat use photosynthesis to grow and evaporation causes rain, which gives us fresh water. Although inventing something that uses the sun’s powerful energy is a great way to save the planet from harmful gasses and waste, it is important that we do not affect nature’s delicate balance, like harming any animals in the food chain, for example. We have a responsibility to our plant to keep it healthy because it is our home.

Hsu, Tiffany. "1000 Megawatts of Solar Power Approved for California Desert." LA Times. 29, Sept. 2010. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/09/1000-megawatts-of-solar-power-approved-for-california-desert.html