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FPL Receives Approval to Build First Commercial-Scale Solar Power Facilities in Florida »

Posted by: ecotourusa 1 month, 3 weeks ago

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Florida Power & Light is one company trying alternative resources for energy. They own nuclear facilities, wind farms, etc. and now they will be building 3 commercial solar plants. I have recently invested in this company. they pay dividends. And, they own the largest wind farm in the nation. they were way ahead of T. Boone Pickens!! Go F

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    ecotourusa1 month, 3 weeks ago

    Go FPL!!! a big move on their part! I think this is a good company to invest in. I'm not big on stocks. but, I think we should put our money into companies doing this type of solution-oriented business! more drilling is stupid for one thing, and it just gives the oil monsters and congressional prostitutes more power...in my opinion.

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      UnusualSuspect1 month, 3 weeks ago

      I agree, eco...investing our money with an alternative energy source that is clean and safe is the smart thing to do.

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    1-2-Oscar1 month, 3 weeks ago

    The "hybrid" facility to be built at Martin is very interesting. If successful, it may point the way to integrate renewable power sources with existing generating equipment, thereby not only cutting fuel costs but also saving on construction. It looks like a promising way to wean ourselves from traditional fossil fuel generating plants.

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      ecotourusa1 month, 3 weeks ago

      Oscar, Your comment encouraged me to go back and read that part again. thanks. perfect idea!

      we can get through this energy crisis that has been brewing for quite some time now.

      but, drilling for more oil is not the answer. especially if it endangers our beautiful shorelines enjoyed by folks world-wide. (tuorism is a big industry here in FL)

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      Dionys1 month, 3 weeks ago

      A recent study showed that a CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) plant 100x100miles square in a place like AZ/NM could supply the ENTIRE US with electricity.

      Huh.

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        ecotourusa1 month, 3 weeks ago

        why would it have to be compared to something that large in scale?

        are you being serious, Dionys?

        I know those wind farms that t.boone is pushing will take up a huge corridor.

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        TonyByron1 month, 3 weeks ago

        I'll try this again after waiting for more than 20 minutes after my first try at posting.

        "A recent study showed that a CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) plant 100x100miles square in a place like AZ/NM could supply the ENTIRE US with electricity."

        Got a link to that study?

        Some people seem to forget that with any solar power station the requirement is to produce enough energy for our needs while the sun shines but to also produce well over 100% more to go into some type of storage to provide for cloudy days/nighttime consumption.

        I am a fan of wind and solar but neither is an instant panacea.

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          TonyByron1 month, 3 weeks ago

          It took 1 second for this to show up. Literally. Amazing.

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            ecotourusa1 month, 3 weeks ago

            "I am a fan of wind and solar but neither is an instant panacea."

            nor is drilling, Tony.

            I am not an expert, but, even on low sun days, there is a reserve, right? or, the hybrid idea...not sure.

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            socialnetworkin1 month, 3 weeks ago

            (an article of a small town run by wind technology.)

            http://news.aol.com/story/_a/first-us-town-powe...

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            Charlson1 month, 3 weeks ago

            This type of energy initiative is what our government ought to encourage and participate in.

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              ecotourusa1 month, 3 weeks ago

              excellent point...years ago we should have been doing this.

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              simonsez1 month, 3 weeks ago

              FPL is doing a good job at all levels ... one of the best utilities in the country. Has been active in wind farms for years.

              My question is how do you protect these solar farms from hurricanes, hail and other weather extremes? If they are badly damaged, I could envision a long repair cycle.

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                ecotourusa1 month, 3 weeks ago

                all new construction in Florida is built to hurricane spec.

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                jsimeon11 month, 3 weeks ago

                I have worked in the Public Utility field for many years and CAN'T understand how anyone could spend large fortunes on SOLAR energy systems without a WIND driven backup system and vice versa. With abundant Hydrogen throughout the UNIVERSE why are we not concentrating in this area? What about SEAWATER and energy produced during desalination? We've had this technology for over half a century. I've been SICK of internal combustion as we know it for 40 years. We are better than this! What are we waiting for? The Japanese? Let's hear it for OIL, POLITICS, and GREED!

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                  Dionys1 month, 3 weeks ago

                  " With abundant Hydrogen throughout the UNIVERSE why are we not concentrating in this area?"

                  Because it's not as 'abundant' as you think? Because splitting it from a combinant form (such as water) requires energy? Talk to a hard scientist about Hydrogen as a fuel sometime.

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                    raza91 month, 3 weeks ago

                    Suppression of innovative technology is nothing new.

                    Tesla had his problems with the patent examiners, but today's free-energy inventor has it much tougher. At the time of this writing, the U. S. Patent Office is headed by a Reagan appointee who came to the office straight from a top executive position with Phillips Petroleum.

                    http://home.earthlink.net/~drestinblack/tesfree...

                    TESLA FREE ENERGY RECEIVER

                    http://www.totse.com/en/fringe/free_energy/pea1...

                    totse.com | Suppressed Inventions

                    1940

                    B1-A,37 GENERATOR, FREE ENERGY, MORAY

                    Henry T. Moray demonstrates before members of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) his FREE ENERGY generator that gave a continuous output of 250,000 volts with no apparent input. The next day he was found shot in his lab and all of his notes and device were stolen.

                    Currently, the Cosray Research Inst. of Salt Lake City has been collecting Moray's papers from old aquaintances and attempting to duplicate the device.

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                  texangelwings1 month, 3 weeks ago

                  This is excellent news! Now, if all of the electric companies would doing the same thing, be it solar and/or wind power.

                  Thanks eco, good article!

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                    simonsez1 month, 3 weeks ago

                    Another question ... what effect on climate are huge swaths of these solar farms going to have? Will they induce heating or cooling? Do we know? Will they effect weather patterns? Some have claimed the windfarms in the SW are affecting rain fall in those areas.

                    I don't think I would want to live close to one in a hot area like Florida.

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                  chevydog1 month, 3 weeks ago

                  Not bad technology. But if one reads the story, the largest of these three units is 75 mW. One is 10mW, and one is 25 mW. Most conventional base load power plants that are being proposed now are on the scale of 1000 mW.

                  Given that this probably represents one of the best economic scenarios for solar power, it seems to me confirmation that solar is no more than a niche provider--nice, but only in specialized locations and under specialized conditions.

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                    slate1 month, 3 weeks ago

                    Is the 'free' sun energy going to be cheaper than the energy that they need to burn fuel to produce?

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                      chevydog1 month, 3 weeks ago

                      Nothing is ever free. In this case they'll have to pay (at minimum) maintenance, depreciation, and local/state taxes on their investment.

                      My guess is that they convinced their public utility commission that this was the least expensive way to add this increment of power. Who knows what assumptions and logic were used? If one really wants to try it, this is the time to push. The next time around may not be as easy. Needed electric may be different; and -for better or worse-they'll have an operating record rather than assumptions.

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                    slate1 month, 3 weeks ago

                    Is the 'free' sun energy going to be cheaper than the energy that they need to burn fuel to produce?

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                      simonsez1 month, 3 weeks ago

                      What would be the effect on wildlife with large swaths of solar?

                      I would think it would be dangerous for all creatures that it would displace.

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                        ecotourusa1 month, 3 weeks ago

                        i can't tell if you are being serious or sarcastic, simon...which is it?

                        :-)

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                      hyperbola1 month, 3 weeks ago

                      Actually the US is way behind in renewable energy - even behind third world countries. The renewable energy company in which I decided to invest is Iberdrola (Spain). Apart from being the 4th biggest electric company in the world (in something like 25 countries, including the US), they are heavily into wind, solar, wave, etc.... Plus, I expect to keep making gains as the dollar sinks and sinks versus the Euro.

                      Iberdrola Ingenieria To Build ISCCS 150 MW Solar Thermal Plant in Egypt

                      Egypt's National Renewable Energies Authority (NREA) signed a contract last week under which Spain's IBERDROLA Ingenieria in consortium with Japan's Mitsui will build a turnkey 150-megawatt (MW) solar thermal generating plant in Kuraymat...

                      http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/st...

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                        hyperbola1 month, 3 weeks ago

                        Iberdrola's Got the Most Wind On the Block

                        The owner of the most wind power in the world is now Spanish utility Iberdrola, according to Emerging Energy Research. The research firm's report says Iberdrola now owns nearly 7 gigawatts of wind power plants, after adding over 1.55 gigawatts of new wind plant construction and an additional 1.45 gigawatts through its purchase of ScottishPower's wind plants in 2007.

                        Iberdrola managed to pass former leader Florida-based power company FPL Energy during 2007, despite the fact that FPL also added a sizable amount of wind power plants to bring its total wind plant ownership to 5 gigawatts....

                        http://earth2tech.com/2008/04/09/iberdrolas-got...

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                        TightBlueJeans1 month, 3 weeks ago

                        Interesting article! Thanks. Will definitely do more research into this. Wind farms are becoming an increasing here are well.

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