Solar farm

Hi,

Has anyone thought about starting a solar farm? Evidently there is free gov't money available. If you can get some cheap land, tax breaks and a grant to start, then use any profits to expand, could you make a productive farm eventually?

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Permalink Reply by John Jinkerson on February 22, 2009 at 4:44pm: The southwest US is the rght region for a solar farm. There are two or three projects that have been sponsored over the last 10 years by the Department of Energy. They are largish projects $100 mllion dollar range. Of course the problem with solar is that it is good for production 8-10 hours per day. You still have to pay for the conventional fuel generation infrastructure to take up the slack when the sun goes down, but it could sure help cover peak load except on cloudy days. I'm all for the fed doing anything that can reduce our dependance on foreign oil. Here a a couple of links to describe some of the DOE solar projects. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/csp.html and http://www.energy.gov/energysources/solar.htm. I found an article on a large commercial development in California. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/business/15solar.html?_r=1

The DOE photovoltaic research has not yet been shown economically practical, but they continue to fund research in universties and industry every year to get the cost of manufacturing down. Maybe when the cost of oil hits $200 - $300 per barrel, the photovoltaic will be competitive. It always comes down to money.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by speedycat on February 22, 2009 at 5:12pm: So would you say it isn't really right for Florida?

What is right for Florida? I mean if someone wants to do something other than beg the government what should they do?

I have given up on the gov't. They will only make things worse; ▶ Reply to This