You have to expect some obstacles. The wind and solar industries are growing like fish in a hatchery and the pond’s not big enough. In other words, there are plenty of opportunities for producing energy, but the transmission lines in existence now cannot handle the load. Already, according to a New York Times article, some wind plants have had to temporarily shut down due to a lack of available line.

Outdated Infrastructure

The problem seems to be this: renewable power plants, especially wind farms, must be located in rural areas, far from where the electricity they produce is most needed. At such distances, the power lines are not made to transmit that kind of volume. So, according to many involved, it is a problem of infrastructure. The U.S. electrical infrastructure is extremely outdated, even “third world,” as New Mexico governor Bill Richardson has said.

I don’t know much about the relative state of the U.S. electrical infrastructure, but this makes sense. What are solutions? One would hope that growing Renewable Portfolio Standards among states across the country would motivate utilities to put some time and effort into upgrading. Yet it appears that is just not the case. It also appears that the federal government and Congress are also reluctant to step it up. Yet with the present growth rate of wind and solar, plus the need for homemade jobs and money in America, the pressure is on to do something. Or is it?

Solar in the City – Where’s the Support?

Could this be just another reason why solar is set to dominate the renewable energy market? Transmission will be an issue for solar plants, especially those slated for the vast expanse of the Mojave Desert (where the biggest wind farm I’ve ever seen already exists). But solar need not leave the city. Think commercial rooftops, carports, residential homes, and more. So why this push to keep it in the desert? Partially, I’m sure, to get a lot of renewable energy in a short a time as possible. The fact is, wind is impractical for most backyards, and solar is still too expensive for the average American household. However, another part is that incentives, especially those coming from the federal government, strongly favor large-scale projects. So how is it that you push wind and solar farms forward with one hand (via tax breaks and rebates) but pull them back with the other (via inactivity regarding transmission and infrastructure)?

There are only two reasons I can come up with: One is that the feds prefer to stay out of it, and two, is that utilities are not motivated. I can’t help but see correlation here, but the latter confuses me. It seems in the utilities best interest to upgrade. Perhaps they are waiting for a federal bail-out to pay for the upgrades. No doubt something the new president will have to address…

Posted on September 11th in Solar News by Dan.