Recently, as a
part of his “We Can’t Wait” initiative, President Obama announced that seven
nationally and regionally significant solar and
wind energy projects would be fast-tracked. Together, these projects would produce
nearly 5,000 megawatts of energy – enough to power about 1.5 million homes, and
support the President’s all-of-the-above strategy to expand American made energy
reduce dependence on foreign oil.
However, the
United States has an enormous untapped source of energy that could be taken
advantage of, but there’s a catch: it’s in the desert. The Southwest is an ideal
location for solar panels San Diego, but these areas have few energy demands
and sending solar power from these regions to population centers is
complicated. The problem lies in the lack of transmission lines. This lack
prevents states with ideal locations but with little populations from
converting their ‘unused’ sunlight into real watts.
Transmission
lines are key to developing these region's solar resources. The problem here is
that is existing lines are reaching their maximum carrying potential, and building
new lines can take years or even decades. According to a new Department of
Energy study on transmission congestion, much of the nation's existing
transmission system is aging and will need replacement before 2030.
Great! There's nothing like solar systems!
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