Solar is only available in daytime and is rather weak in winter time. Wind only works in some locations and in certain weather conditions. Wave energy is not very consistent, except in particular locations. Tidal energy is possibly the most consistant of alternative sources, producing energy at consistent times, though varying slightly according to tides. Even this does not operate for 24 hours daily.

Connecting all these sources via a grid, perhaps specially constructed for alternative energy, but certainly country wide,or even continental wide is an important project. Lowering energy needs is primary, but needs government action, to ensure that house and business owners are compelled or encouraged to reduce consumption. Government needs to legislate to enforce charging for energy to encourage less use of energy, and to make larger consumers pay higher prices.

Other basic ways to reduce waste of energy is to work from home, live near work and schools, and shops (preferably walking or cycling distance). The average person in the USA needs 5 worlds for their energy, food, travel etc. requirements. This needs to be reduced to the one world which is what we’ve got, while the poor people of the world develop to take their fair share.

The reduction in CO2 production is therefore 80% for the West. The quickest way to achieve this overnight in one area is that of diet. An immediate change to a vegetarian diet will reduce CO2 from our diet by about 40%, a vegan diet will bring this down to 80%. Immediate changes like working from home etc. are under some individual’s control. The insulation of houses and other changes like installation of alternative heating and energy may involve high costs to achieve 80% reductions, and these will clearly take time.

In short our current wasteful and expensive way of life is not sustainable. Wealthy lifestyles involving living in mansions, commuting long distances and flying all over the world are the new anti-social behaviour!

The plant is stated to have 25 MW peak output. But peak output only occurs at high solar noon. Averaged over the day and over a year, the power plant will probably produce around 150 Megawatt-hours per day. In a year that’s 54,750 Megawatt hours.

Typically households in the US (according to the Energy Information Agency of the US Department of Energy) use around 11,200 kilowatt hours of energy per year. This varies by state — some states use more, others use less depending upon the local mix of energy, and the need for heating/ cooling/ lights and how much of that energy comes from electricity.

Using the US average 11,200 kWh or 11.2 Megawatt hours of electricity use per household, I get this is enough to power *on average* about 4888 households.

You’ll still need natural gas or nuclear or other power plants — this power plant doesn’t put out energy at night, and produces markedly different outputs between sunny summer afternoons and darker cloudy winter afternoons. So something needs to stand in the wings and step in when its not producing max possible power, or when dark. But the combination will reduce fossil fuel use by quite a bit.

800 homes per megawatt is estimated output, 110 mw

80k homes powered.

This type of clean electricity generation needs to be multiplied in all suitable locations worldwide. Prices should come down as more solar units are manufactured.