Thursday, August 28, 2008
If the growth of photovoltaic (PV) solar cell installations were to continue at the current rate, they would be able to satisfy all U.S. electricity demands by 2040, according to Richard Swanson, co-founder of SunPower Corp.
PV growth is more than capable of achieving what would be needed to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, considering the rise of other renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency, said Swanson, now SunPower's president and chief technology officer. He noted that other renewable technologies such as wind power and PV rival solar thermal power are growing rapidly.
"We feel we are fully capable of playing alongside other options," said Swanson, delivering a keynote address at the Hot Chips conference here Tuesday (Aug. 26).
Swanson dismissed detractors who argue that solar power cannot grow fast enough to make a meaningful dent in usage of fossil fuels. Referring to a 14-megawatt solar energy installation joint project involving the U.S. Air Force and SunPower at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, Swanson said the PV industry was already capable of building facilities that rival the electricity-generating capacity of nuclear power plants.
The Nellis installation, completed in December 2007, is said to be capable of generating more than 30 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
By: DocMemory
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