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A viable renewable: do it with mirrors

Wednesday, January 24 at 12:01 AM

In their Dec. 30 Commentary article, “Power gridlock,” Ray Gifford and Adam Peters asserted that “no renewable resources will provide for the large ‘base load’ resources that Colorado needs the most.” They go on to conclude that we must make a Faustian bargain with either coal or nuclear energy to satisfy our appetite for electricity. Unfortunately, both authors appear to be unaware of concentrating solar power as a renewable means of generating base-load power.
CSP operates by focusing the sun’s energy with mirrors to create steam from which electricity is generated. Because CSP can easily store energy, the power keeps coming even when the sun sets or there is cloud cover.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden determined that the solar resources in the San Luis Valley alone would allow more than 600,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity to be generated using CSP — or about 13 times the amount we use in the entire state. Furthermore, CSP can produce power at costs competitive with polluting sources.

J. Thomas McKinnon, Boulder

READER COMMENTS

Why don't the folks in Boulder, that are so much smarter than the rest of us, invest their money in solar power? They could build this fantastic CSP system and save the planet. If it is truly cost competitive with coal and nuclear their investments would make huge profits and save the world. They could donate the profits to some deserving group or individual, because we all know profit is bad. They could also put Xcel and Tri State out of business, because they obviously know more about making power than these two utilities. My family invested in renewable energy. We produce 17-40 times the more green energy that we consumer. We didn't demand that Xcel put their shareholders money at risk on some unproven technology. We don't demand tax credits or support from the goverment. We put our money were our mouth is. I suggest that others do the same.

Posted by Dennis Pungitore on January 24, 2007 09:23 AM

Another company with patented technology for solar power generation at low cost is International Automated Systems. Google them and see for yourself what new technologies can do to help this nation escape the stranglehold of the petroleum industy. If we don't change soon, it won't matter anyway.

Posted by Jim Lee on January 24, 2007 11:24 AM