SOLAR PANELS ????

Major

Major

Supporter
Question..........with climate change raging, and the debate over fossil fuels, the thought occurred to me today.

There are deserts everywhere, in almost every continent. Why isn't there Solar Panels in the Sahara Desert, the Mohave Desert and all the rest. It seems to me that it would be the logical place for them to be placed.

So again I ask, WHY haven't they?
 
Ya know, that got me to thinkin' about them panels and wind blown sand. I read somewheres that them solar panels don't work so good in hot, sandy places because the wind blown sand not only settles on them panels and reduces the efficiency, but the wind blown sand etches the surface and makes them panels all but useless in just a couple years. The cost of replacin' them damaged panels all the time offsets any energy cost savings that they might have had early on. They also said that the extreme temperature swings in deserts from hot days to cold nights breaks down the panel construction and causes cell failures all the time requirin' more costs to replace. It's been tried and it just don't work out because of the maintenance costs.

Them panels don't work so good here in Kentucky either. We're so far back in the woods that it takes sunlight an extra few hours to get here. 😉


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I do know homes with solar are harder to sell, because the panels are so expensive. Most of the time they are not paid off, and the buyer gets stuck with that bill. It is correct that they are easily damaged, and here we get a lot of bad weather. The raise in home owners insurance to cover them, does not justify their cost.
 
Major said:
I have no idea! It seems to me that the power obtained from the panels could be exported just like oil.

I mean, it is just a lot of sand in the middle of no where doing nothing.
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Who owns that sand? What is the cost to manufacture, install and maintain the panels? How much energy will we gain from the panels? What's the environmental impact? If it were a slam dunk, I suppose everyone would do it.
 
Major said:
I have no idea! It seems to me that the power obtained from the panels could be exported just like oil.

I mean, it is just a lot of sand in the middle of no where doing nothing.
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I think that the production of solar energy in remote regions, such as deserts, is problematic for getting the energy to the populated areas where it's needed because of transmission line loss. The current produced would be bled off by the resistance of the materials comprising the lines. I don't believe that a method of transmitting high current electric power through fiber optics is as yet practically available.
 
PaducahLuke said:
Ya know, that got me to thinkin' about them panels and wind blown sand. I read somewheres that them solar panels don't work so good in hot, sandy places because the wind blown sand not only settles on them panels and reduces the efficiency, but the wind blown sand etches the surface and makes them panels all but useless in just a couple years. The cost of replacin' them damaged panels all the time offsets any energy cost savings that they might have had early on. They also said that the extreme temperature swings in deserts from hot days to cold nights breaks down the panel construction and causes cell failures all the time requirin' more costs to replace. It's been tried and it just don't work out because of the maintenance costs.

Them panels don't work so good here in Kentucky either. We're so far back in the woods that it takes sunlight an extra few hours to get here. 😉


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But being so far away in the "hollars" makes that moonshine better!
LearningToLetGo said:
Who owns that sand? What is the cost to manufacture, install and maintain the panels? How much energy will we gain from the panels? What's the environmental impact? If it were a slam dunk, I suppose everyone would do it.
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I have no idea! It was just a thought! The sand would belong to what ever country it is situated in.

It's the age old question of, if we can put a man on the moon, why can't we do this??????
 
Major said:
Question..........with climate change raging, and the debate over fossil fuels, the thought occurred to me today.

There are deserts everywhere, in almost every continent. Why isn't there Solar Panels in the Sahara Desert, the Mohave Desert and all the rest. It seems to me that it would be the logical place for them to be placed.

So again I ask, WHY haven't they?
Click to expand...

I know solar panels have been around for years but from the “what if theories” in this topic, solar panels are still not perfected.

Why haven’t they? For some communities they work wonderfully but only in the capacity of that area. Some communities “don’t allow or have the capability” to provide panels so I don’t feel the deserts are ready or equipped to provide solar panels.

I was thinking of the Twilight Zone where a population of people live in a large land of sand desert. They need a source to provide light and warmth. Then a large cat shows up and terrifies the people. It turns out they’re in a playground sandbox.

😎 lol!
 
bobinfaith said:
I know solar panels have been around for years but from the “what if theories” in this topic, solar panels are still not perfected.

Why haven’t they? For some communities they work wonderfully but only in the capacity of that area. Some communities “don’t allow or have the capability” to provide panels so I don’t feel the deserts are ready or equipped to provide solar panels.

I was thinking of the Twilight Zone where a population of people live in a large land of sand desert. They need a source to provide light and warmth. Then a large cat shows up and terrifies the people. It turns out they’re in a playground sandbox.

😎 lol!
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LOL..........I love that!
 
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