Solar Energy by Safa Khan https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q 1) Post a source with a summary, 2) Incldue link, 3) Comment on 1 peer. en-us 2018-03-26 17:22:52 UTC 2025-10-10 00:24:28 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Hotsun.png Haya J : Solar power turns down costs for Ventura County schools w_haya94 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/246341188 School districts throughout Ventura County are saving thousands of dollars a year by switching to solar power; In the United States, 5,489 schools use solar energy now. It is amazing to see that everyone and all types of institutions are taking initiative to help switch to renewal resources. 

]]> 2018-03-27 02:53:29 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/246341188 DeAndre Dennis deandre_dennis739 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/246611135 Billionaire Philip Anschutz plans to build the largest wind project that will help California. In 2017 his proposal was stopped by Sacramento but that didn't mean he gave up. Anschutz presented a new drafted by Chris Holden, supports of this bill believe that this will help with California's climate change with the renewable source.  Non-supports believe that this will push jobs that deal with solar energy out of the state. I really like that Anschutz is thinking ahead and trying to make California a better state. 

]]> 2018-03-27 17:27:52 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/246611135 California invested heavily in solar power. Now there's so much that other states are sometimes paid to take it JoseZavaleta11 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/246706241 California has invested in increasing renewable energy production, such as solar panels and wind turbines, that now there is excess energy being produced. California is now paying other states, Such as Arizona, to take this power. This helps many residents pay less for the electricity they use. I think it’s great that California is giving power to other states. This can encourage other states to produce their own renewable energy.

]]> 2018-03-27 22:01:40 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/246706241 California Sets Two New Solar Records karinaballerina1 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247010987 In early March California set two new solar power records for energy output. They were higher now than they were in mid June of last year which is a great accomplishment and the grid could handle the extra energy flowing though it. Even though the alternate energy companies are having great success they are being put on hold and not actively growing. No one is putting the money into finding new ways to store the extra alternate energy sources so things are getting put on hold which is discouraging. ]]> 2018-03-28 17:37:31 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247010987 California ski resorts embrace solar energy https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247099780 Ski resorts in California,Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski resorts, are planning to use only solar energy at their resorts by December and areas near by are also going more environmentally friendly by adding solar panels to their ski resorts in areas like Lake-Tahoe. Polls conducted by tourism agency show that many ski resort visitors are highly interested in environmental stability so that could be a plus for the resorts transitioning to all solar energy, although many people look for other resort amenities to be more important than environmental stability. Overall, I think its great that these resorts are trying to get rid of harmful emissions and are going to use solar energy to run their resorts entirely.

-Griselda Murias]]> 2018-03-28 23:14:23 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247099780 California Greenhouses Will Use Sun's Heat to Extract Sticky Oil. heba_sitita759 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247128770 This article is very interesting is directing our resources to better energy. “We’re not running out of oil. We’re running out of easy oil.” One place where oil is hard (and heavy) is below the Californian ground, where extractors must blast the sludgy petroleum with steam to get it flowing. Most such operations use natural gas to make the steam, but one startup has turned to an unusual partner for oil mining—Solar Energy—to try to make the business more efficient. GlassPoint, a company based in Fremont, California, wants to use solar thermal energy to cook up some steam. Unlike photo voltaic solar, which converts the sun’s radiation directly into electricity, solar thermal projects trap and focus the sun’s heat. This article is very interesting is directing our resources to better energy. The application of Solar energy in greenhouses could change the way we think of energy.]]> 2018-03-29 02:54:11 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247128770 More Solar Panels Coming to Highway 1 omkrebs https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247544172 According to the article by John Lindt, Camp San Luis Obispo (SLO) and the California Men's Colony will be joining in on Cal Poly's efforts in going solar. The camp is aiming to add to the 18.5 acre solar farm--implemented by the university and located near the highway 1--of which already is comprised of over 16,000 panels with the capability of generating over 11 million kilowatts annually! Currently, this solar energy system has the ability to provide up to 25 percent of the Cal Poly campus's energy. The camp is aiming to add panels to buildings and "parking canopies". Altogether, the entire system has the potential to meet up to 73 percent of the camp's energy supply demands, generating up to 2.8 million kilowatts. The Men's Colony's project will be able to supply up to 35 of their yearly electricity needs, generating up to 4.7 million kilowatts. The SLO project will begin being constructed this year and is aiming to be completed as soon as July while the Men's Colony project is expected to be completed by early next year! I also learned from this article that, according to the California Independent System Operator, solar power meets about half of California's energy demand! Additionally, Hearst Castle and an air force base has installed solar systems too. 

This article was interesting and informative, as I was unaware of this huge solar energy system that really isn't very far from Ventura County! In San Luis Obispo, many homes (1,200) are even equipped with solar panels. I am looking forward to my next trip up the coast so that I can see the solar farm with my own eyes! California is moving in the right direction and I am proud to live in a state that is making such significant strides in the implementation of alternative and sustainable energy. ]]> 2018-03-30 19:23:49 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247544172 California Aims to 'Bottle Sunlight' in Energy Storage Push rogelio_luna_mendez434 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247561638 This article presents very interesting information about one of the crucial factors about energy production which is the one concerning storage; certainly, the capture and stock of energy produced is a critical part of the efficiency of any method of creation, and its ultimate benefit which would be delivering the energy to consumers can be greatly influenced by this condition as well as the green energy production itself due the monetary element being that the cost of energy storage is quite high in comparison to the one of building a whole new gas plant, as it is referred in this article.

I liked the expression “holy grail” used by the authors for the energy storage; indeed, it is a decisive component in the proficiency of energy usage because it can provide additional power-time per day preventing peak demand transmission or the need for building more production plants, so the interest and investments from both the government - because of the state renewable energy targets of 1/3 of the electricity supply and up to 1.3 gigawatts storage by 2020 – are very promising regarding reaching substantial development in this particular. 

]]> 2018-03-30 23:52:30 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247561638 California's Solar Energy Overload GeovaniQuijas https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247562535  
Reflecting on this article from 2017, fourteen different days in March, eight days in January and nine days in February, the issue raised as California produced so much solar power needing to pay Arizona, Nevada and other states to take excess electricity to avoid overloading its power lines. The outcome, California has ordered some of its solar plants to reduce generation and in fact the solar and wind power production was reduced by around 3% in the first quarter of 2017 which was more than double the same period last year. The California legislature has mandated that half of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2030 which is about double what it is today. State regulators have then had utility companies build the natural gas power plants to deliver reliable power and back-up power to the wind and solar units in California. Electricity prices in California have increased faster than in the rest of the United States and they are over the area of forty percent higher comparing to the national average, looking at 2017’s records. These articles help realize potential issues we can have for the future.
]]> 2018-03-31 00:22:25 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247562535 A Change in Land-Use from Solar Energy farrell_chase https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247573387 Discussing the recent transition to a new type of farming, this article investigates the reallocation of farm land to allow for increased solar energy collection in California. With the drought taking its toll on crop harvests in recent years, many farmers have turned to using their pastures to collect sunlight rather than fruits and vegetables with 30% of installations now occupying croplands. Researchers have begun to use the Carnegie Energy and Environmental Compatibility computer model to identify future conflicts between energy and environmental resources throughout the state. In order to achieve the 80% reduction in green house emissions the country is striving for however, re-purposing land already in use by American society is necessary. 

]]> 2018-03-31 04:30:25 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247573387 California invested heavily in solar power. Now there's so much that other states are sometimes paid to take it spencer_garcia https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247613716 California generates so much solar power that the state often pays other states to receive California's unused solar power in order to not overload the electric grid in the State. A prominent state that California pays to receive it's unused solar power is Arizona. During certain days in the months of January through to March, California generates more electricity through solar power than it can afford to use. California is also ordering Solar Plants to cut back on energy production as a result. Due to this, Arizona is able to help it's locals save millions each year as a result, however grid operators decline to disclose exactly how much a citizen saves. The reason for why California produces so much power is due to their "dramatic" success of the state's renewable energy projects. Even though the state is still extremely fossil fuel dependent, the state is showing great promise in switching to alternative energy and away from fossil fuels.]]> 2018-03-31 17:24:40 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247613716 Current Solar Power Projects in California. kyle_hoyt669 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247622518 The California Energy Commission gives a well put together list of current solar power projects in Califronia along with information on their statistics and design. What was interesting to see was that the majority of projects listed are solar thermal parabolic troughs. Basically a parabolic trough focuses light onto a tube containing a fluid with a low boiling point. Steam generated by the heat transfer is then guided into a turbine where the heat energy is transferred into kinetic, mechanical, then electrical energy. This design is highly efficient, and can generate a comfortable 125 MW per complex. Total length of the troughs is approximately 7 miles long and the complex itself is about 10 square miles. In comparison to the "Solar Towers" posted in Nevada, it generates more power over a smaller area and with less materials. 

A question I have, is how are these projects going to progress, in terms of  location, in the future? Mainly, these projects are mostly located within San Bernadino County. Can this energy be transferred to more distant cities, or are more units going to be spread out across the state? 

An interesting side note, was that by 2020, electrical utilities are going to be required to have 33% of their provided power be totally renewable. ]]> 2018-03-31 19:33:18 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247622518 California is taking a cooling off period after generating too much energy from the sun melissa_rimpa652 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247635523 The solar sector in California is "taking a break" for a little while following record energy production from the sun. Recently, solar energy accounted for 50% of the state's demand, which beat last years production by 5%. California has been directing power to other states such as Arizona to avoid overpowering the power lines. There are currently no plans to purchase more solar sue to lack of knowledge of what to do with it. Much of the solar energy in the country was installed in California last year (2,500MW). The California senate has made a big proposal following the ease at which we can reach 50% renewable energy by 2030: 100% renewable by 2045. 
I think it's great that we are exceeding our energy needs and the residential market is still growing. However, there is a problem in storage of power, which will need to be fixed because they are stopping production and/or paying other states to take our excess power. ]]> 2018-04-01 00:46:34 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247635523 Trump’s new tariff could hurt California’s effort to go solar rianna_smith801 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247636915 Our President, Donald Trump, imposed a 30 percent tariff on solar panels imported from overseas in the beginning of this year. These recently tariffed solar panels make of 70% of the solar panels deployed in the US. This extreme tariff has caused many American solar panel manufacturers into foreclosures. Experts in this industry say that Trumps decision will make the alternative energy source more expensive for homeowners and business owners. Solar growth has been growing due to the effect of tax credits, but does this new tariff make the tax credit monetarily worth getting solar panels? Trump claimed this new tariff was to help the troubled US manufacturing industry, but there are many quotes from Trump stating he would support coal and fossil fuel option in the US. Is this new tariff really for helping our economy for manufacturing or is it mainly so Trump can say he keeps his promises…I believe the latter. Either way, this industry will survive. A solar panel plant is being made in North Highlands that will provide jobs in this renewable energy industry.]]> 2018-04-01 01:35:02 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247636915 California is embarrassing the rest of the country with the amount of solar energy it's producing travis_cribbs156 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247643978 While California has set the goal of having 50% of its power produced from renewable resources by 2030, the state has currently made profound strides in its production of solar energy. For instance, California produces more than half the energy produced by solar power in the nation, which meets on average about 13% of the states power needs. This is so much energy that California has to either slow down its solar power production or sell off the excess power to neighboring states. 

The important thing I gleaned from the article is that transitioning to a renewable energy source for the majority of the state's power needs can create problems that we never thought of. How can we create an efficient way or harnessing all of the excess energy from renewables as we create more and more renewable energy plants? Its very easy to forget that while generating power might be relatively easy, storing that power when there is an excess or rerouting it to other end users might be difficult. It seems that while we are certainly moving in the right direction, we still need to consider the novel problems that arise from these novel power sources.]]> 2018-04-01 05:42:10 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247643978 Distributed solar and efficiency saves California $2.6 Billion on power line maritza_garcia6581 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247729000 This articles talks about how large amounts of savings the estimate to a total of $2.6 Billion are being seeing due to new transmission projects are being approved which consist of revisions of energy efficiency and solar power altering. Since some of the projects had were within PG&E's service area the changes have made an impact on allowing CA's goal of meeting 33% renewable goal. According to this data it has been stated that CA plans on meeting 50% renewable energy by 2020.Another factor that has contributed to these savings is the reduced solar peak demand by 6%. Overall, the main idea that can be taken from this informative article is that California is doing its part to increase renewable energy by reducing aspects that oppose this goal.]]> 2018-04-02 03:33:28 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247729000 Community Choice Energy Drives Growth in California carmen_morales672 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247734554 Community choice aggregation (CCA) is a tool to encourage local control of energy systems that can drive significant growth in clear. It offers an opportunity for communities to join together to offer choice of their electric provider and source of electricity. It was authorized by the legislature in 2012, but was delayed until 2010. There are currently nine active CCAs in California with a dozen in the works. The motivation to many are the desire to go green faster than state policy. San Diego adopted a Climate Action Plan in 2015 that call for 100% renewable electricity by 2035. Local activist pushed for the City to use CCA to meet the goal but unfortunately in February it was declined. Although it was declined I think activist should still push for CCA to help meet their goal. I think this is a great tool because it gives people the ability to choose where their energy is coming from and the source. If used properly this can not only benefit California but many other states as well.]]> 2018-04-02 04:25:19 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247734554 Trump has offered no valid reason for revising California's desert plan jacqueline_chavez088 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247744140 This article that the LA Times published in February 2018  reported about Trump's recent stall on the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation plan, a plan that is set to use 400,000 acres of land in southern California deserts for solar wind and geothermal energy production. Trump and his administration are claiming that for the environmental benefit, they want to revise the plan to arrange a larger space of land for the renewable energy production, but the article argues that stalling the project will negatively impact the environment, by detaining the production of renewable energy sources in the area. Furthermore, it claims that the Trump administration has not stated any factual or legitimate reasoning for why they want to rewrite the plan, and that in reality it is not Trump's environmental interests that are at play here, but in reality his ultimate plan of undoing as much of the Obama administrations work as possible.
This article brought up yet another example of the faultiness in the Trump administration's environmental decision making skills, and emphasized on the ridiculousness of stalling a plan that had been looked over for over a year with no legitimate reasoning.]]> 2018-04-02 06:26:01 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247744140 A reality check on renewables michelle_stanfill087 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247746623 This TED talk goes over the specifics of renewable energy sources. The speaker is an advocate of renewables, but wishes to share the realities of them all. The talk begins with stating that population densities are increasing with energy consumption directly increasing as well. Specifics examples are given about energy consumption values in the U.K. On average, U.K. citizens consumer 1.25 watts per square meter. 
Biofuel (energy crops) deliver .5 watts per sq. meter and solar energy 20 watts per square meter. Basically there is literally just not enough surface area in the U.K. to support that amount of energy use via renewables. Although solar, wind, water and biofuel are all ways to help shave off some of the 90% dependence on fossil fuels, there is still room for improvement. The speaker gives three ways that people can help decrease unnecessary energy consumption. The first is more efficient transportation, the second
heating and insulation, heat loss is 1/3 of energy consumption. Lastly
read meters, this helps give a number on how much energy your household is consuming.


]]> 2018-04-02 06:53:13 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247746623 California Invests Heavily In Solar Energy debbie_manrique726 https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247895154 In this you tube video it talks about how California is moving in the direction of using renewable energy such as solar panels to help move towards an environment concision society. They have now made it possible for low income families to be able to afford solar panels making renewable energy available to a wide demographic through the use of government programs that help pay for the installment of green power. Not only is solar energy making an impact on the environment but is also providing a new industry of employment opportunities for the community. Solar panels are becoming a wide use sustainable renewable energy source, which requires people to become trained in installing green power. There has already been 300 trainees employed and hired to expand renewable energy. It has also created employment of over a hundred thousand Californians. With the use of government funded programs and treaties its become a goal of California to make half of its electricity come from renewable electricity sources by the year 2030. 

]]> 2018-04-02 18:18:51 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247895154 California invested heavily in solar power. Now there's so much that other states are sometimes paid to take it angiekatekintha https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247970149 From reading this article, I found out that California produce a lot of solar energy that they were paying other states such as Arizona to take the excesses amount electricity.I found this to be very interesting because California is like encouraging other states to use the solar energy. The reason for California to paid other states to take the excess amount of energy because they didn't want to overload the power lines. At first when offering Arizona the idea of free solar energy, the operator of the grid declined their offered which made California a little desperate so they paid Arizona to take the solar energy. ]]> 2018-04-03 02:03:44 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/247970149 Solar Kite TrevorParker https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/250106464 This article is a pretty novel idea. They propose to make a kite with flexible PV cells mounted on top that will harness light energy and transport it to the ground by a copper wire connection. This idea may allow many Californians to harness solar energy even on a cloudy day by flying this kite above the cloud layer. Pretty interesting idea. I've also read about a kite that is connected to a generator that spins as the spool is released. The electricity harnessed is then used to pull the kite back in with an excess amount stored. Kite Power may be used in California where there is usually a cloud or fog cover. ]]> 2018-04-10 03:47:53 UTC https://padlet.com/safa_khan/4vxn3ot6uh0q/wish/250106464