Big Deal in Solar Power

  • Dish stirling solar power system at the Arizona Public Service Solar Test and Research Center (Photo courtesy of the US Department of Energy)

Since the 1970’s, solar power has been called the
next big thing. But not a whole lot has really come of it.
Rebecca Williams reports that could be changing:

Transcript

Since the 1970’s, solar power has been called the
next big thing. But not a whole lot has really come of it.
Rebecca Williams reports that could be changing:

With oil going for more than 100 bucks a barrel, the country’s seeing its
first major investment in solar.

The utility company Pacific Gas and Electric has signed a multi- billion
dollar deal. It’s planning to build five solar power plants in the Mojave
Desert.

The US has been mostly reliant on coal, nuclear and hydropower. But more
renewable sources such as wind and solar are coming online.

Jack Jenkins-Stark is the CFO of BrightSource Energy. It’s the company that
will build the plants.

“The energy mix of the U.S. or the world is always going to be a combination
of many, many technologies and solar is clearly going to be one of those
technologies.”

He says three things are driving solar’s rise: worries about global
warming, soaring energy prices, and better technology.

For The Environment Report, I’m Rebecca Williams.

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