Solar panel energy plant being built in Florida will be nation's largest

[ccharles000]

Greg Bove steps into his pickup truck and drives down a sandy path to where the future of Florida's renewable energy plans begin: Acres of open land filled with solar panels that will soon power thousands of homes and business.

For nearly a year, construction workers and engineers in Arcadia, Fla., a sleepy town of citrus trees and cattle farms, have been building the nation's largest solar panel energy plant. Testing will soon be complete, and the facility will begin directly converting sunlight into energy, giving Florida a momentary spot in the solar energy limelight.

The Desoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center will power a small fraction of Florida Power & Light's 4 million-plus customer base; nevertheless, at 25 megawatts, it will generate nearly twice as much energy as the second-largest photovoltaic facility in the U.S.

The White House said President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit the facility Tuesday, when it officially goes online and begins producing power for the electric grid.

As demand grows and more states create mandates requiring a certain percentage of their energy come from renewable sources, the size of the plants is increasing. The southwest Florida facility will soon be eclipsed by larger projects announced in Nevada and California.

http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2009/10/solar_panel_energy_plant_being.html

[FarCenter]

1. Too bad they don't say who makes the solar panels and where they are made

I think that they are coming from SunPower, which was a spin-out from Cypress Semiconductor in California. So maybe the panels are made in the US.

But the press should make it clear whether the panels and devices are made in the US.

[lonestarnot]

2. Don't kid yourself, China has already cornered the market. We

should have 10 of those fucking plants in every state!

[BrklynLiberal]

3. If Carter had been re-elected, we would have had this all done 25 years ago..

and we would not be dependent on any foreign oil..and our environment would be cleaner...and who knows what else..

[AllentownJake]

4. Carter made the dumbest mistake in American Politics

He was honest with the American People.

[thunder rising]

6. It is hard to believe that any Dem ever got elected before 'the blog'. MSM is sooo twisted and

always has been.

[AllentownJake]

7. Well lets look at Democratic Presidents over the past 60 years

FDR-Hoover didn't have a chance, and he had no problem kicking big radio in the teeth and threatening them when they pissed him off.
Truman-They tried so hard to take down Truman in that election that they had the headlines ready to print before the election was called.
Kennedy-This was a close one and Joe had the money to pay for his own media
LBJ-There is no chance in hell a Democrat loses after what happened to JFK
Carter-After watergate...they still found a way to make it closer than it should have been
Clinton-Recession and Ross Perot (had a personal beef with Georgie Sr.) They still tried everything they could to bring him down twice. He's a brilliant campaigner and takes no shit from his opponent.
Obama-The most charismatic brilliant campaigner in the history of the country. They still tried.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Nice synopsis.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. I guess so. He was a victim of his own naivete

There certainly were very dirty tricks involved in the election of Raygun. :puke:
The Iranian hostage situation was just the tip of the iceberg...The repukes were totally bloodthirsty, and wanted to win at any cost.

[AllentownJake]

10. Wait to you see what happens in 2010

They are about to go populist attacking Wall Street

:rofl:

[unkachuck]

5. always, always....

....some centralized production with a useless fuckin' capitalist between me and what I need....make me cheap, inexpensive and efficient solars cells that I can put on my roof, or place in my yard, that will give me 10000 watts at a penny a watt....then we'll be getting somewhere....