Mojave Desert: A Solar Analysis

This study recorded the position of the Sun over the course of a day, on three different occasions each one month apart. Then compare how the daily motion of the Sun changes throughout the course of a year. To measure the course of the Sun a roofing nail is placed on a paper and the end of the shadow is recoded over the length of the day. Starting the recording at approximately 10am and ending around 6pm.

The Sun is main source of energy in well-designed permaculture system. For instance, plants use the energy of the sun to produce food. The heat from the sun helps the compost to decompose faster. Solar stoves, solar lamps and solar heaters help to reduce the energy requirements. The Sun can also supply the electricity needs of the permaculture farm. The prime objective of this case study is to analyze the use of the photovoltaic installation in East Tennessee Permaculture research institute. To answer this question, I performed an on-site analysis and personal interview David Bolt, founder of ETPRI.

The usage of land in the Mojave Desert is negatively affecting the desert as a whole. “Some key species are indicators of the overall ecological health of the region … most of these species continue to decline.” was stated by the mojave defenders. Certain animals such as the Mojave ground squirrel represent the health of our environment, and certain groups are inefficiently using the land of the Mojave Desert. Ultimately, this is leading to a decline in these populations.

The 2003 Northeast Blackout was a two-day nightmare that spanned from New York to Canada. This incredible event was not due to a storm, but computer and human error; affecting over fifty million people with estimated losses up to ten billion dollars and 11 deaths (Walsh, 2013)! A loss of power turns inconvenience into a life-changing event when food in the refrigerator spoils, public transportation is useless, gas pumps are inoperable, and dark streets increase fear and anxiety. Even though power outages are a fact of life, few economies are equipped or prepared to provide their own power. The current appetite for electricity is pushing decaying electronic grids and antiquated software to limits with no sign of waning (Halsey, 2012). As the demand to produce more power grows, this increases the amount of pollution as well as disasters-massive power outages and catastrophic oil spills. The inefficient methods of fossil fuel production coupled with increased power demands are polluting the air, land, and water; creating unhealthy economies and ecosystems. Harnessing renewable alternative energy from nature is a smarter, dependable, and generous source of power that is non-polluting and will be available when current power sources are unavailable. Solar power is a healthier alternative power choice that supports fluctuating ecosystems, promotes healthy economic

A current threat to the Mojave desert is its renewable energy sources, or windmills as people most know them as. About 50,000 acres of desert tortoise habitat has been built over, mostly in California. Dunes which house many Mojave Fringe toed lizards have been impacted, as well as windmills that have been built in the way of golden eagle habitats. This causes many collision between the birds, a threat that many of them face. Many of these renewable energy sources people are able to see heading down to Palm Springs or getting on the freeway to LA. A large area of the desert was plowed and flattened out for solar panels destroying many homes for animals. More and more windmills are also being put up as well with all the road work going on, more

In this modern fast paced world that we live in, there are many issues that are looked over, energy is one of these. As a world, we are dependant on dwindling fossil fuel supplies and take for granted electricity, oil, and gas. There are four completely renewable sources of energy around us that should be used and developed, they are: wind, growing plants, flowing water, and the sun. These sources of energy are the ones we should be tapping, because they are reliable and renewable. Harnessing the suns energy is the most certain and ultimate energy source. Looking at a brief history and some facts about solar energy, a glimpse of the future can be seen, a future not dependant on

Laws are implemented for the betterment of the community. However, a law was put back in play when eight redwood trees were planted in the backyard of Ms. Carolynn Bissett and Mr. Richard Treanor overshadowing solar panels of their neighbor, Mr. Mark Vargas, who installed the panels on year 2001. This generated a conflict between the two neighbors. Resulting to Mr. Mark Vargas filing a dispute against Ms. Carolynn Bissett and Mr Richard Treanor. The California Solar Shade Act of 1978 was used against the couple. The law provides protection to solar panel system owners from shading trees and shrubs on their property. The law also prevents a property owner from allowing trees or shrubs to shade an existing solar panel installed on a neighboring

On August 15th, 2012, flush with the joy of having received my first salary, I embarked on a journey that I hoped would culminate in an off grid solar powered household. Today, as I write this essay, that goal is in sight. Over the past four years, I have built a system that is capable of generating over 3 kW-h of power on a daily basis, having added to the system every time finances allowed. During this time, my household has generated over 3 MW-h of power, equivalent to 1.2 tons of carbon-dioxide not generated. A few years since starting the solar project, my personal interest also diversified to sustainability, resulting in an aquaponics project housing over fifty koi carps and vegetables grown from their excrement enough to feed my family

The objective of this lab was to collect data solar irradiance and soil temperature from six sample sites around the Georgia Gwinnett College Campus. The null hypothesis was that there were no differences in soil temperature nor solar irradiance among the six site. The alternative hypothesis was that the amount of radiation emitted from the sunlight would have an effect on the soil temperature at specific locations.

In order for one to further understand the importance of solar energy, the problem of global warming must be explained. As defined by Webster’s Dictionary, “Global Warming” is an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect. With an average increase in atmospheric temperatures, our planet is slowly deteriorating. In order to stall or halt this global destruction, countries must turn to solar energy as a cleaner alternative to the depletion of fossil fuels. Solar energy creates a homeostasis for the climate. Due to its ability to decrease global climate changes, solar power can address global warming in several ways.

When Obama was elected President of the United States, he promised to protect the environment we live in. His Climate Action Plan set out to increase energy efficiency, reduce carbon pollution and expand of renewable energy sources. To accomplish a part of this, the government announced approval of an action plan, the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan ‘DRECP’. The DRECP is a landscape-level plan focusing on renewable energy and conservation on 22.5 million acres of California desert land. The plan stretches over seven California counties, including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Bernardino. The DRECP was developed in a joint effort by government agencies such as, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Local governments, renewable energy developers and environmental organizations were also involved. The DRECP goals could be split up into three major categories.

Providing sustainable energy to support the growing population of the world has been a debated issue for many years. As prices for oil rise or unsustainable forms of energy become no longer available, the need to provide society with a new form of sustainable energy becomes a necessity. Although energy can be provided by other sustainable means (wind, solar, and water energy), those resources require specific locations to work, for example, a mountain canyon with strong winds to support a viable wind farm. However, not all areas of the world have windy mountainous canyons. Some areas of the world do not have the means to support a growing population on sustainable energy sources that are not readily available in their areas.

"Plants versus Photovoltaics: Which Are Better to Capture Solar Energy?" is an article written by David Biello, and published in May 12, 2011. With this article, Biello’s purpose was to determine that the relative efficiency of photosynthesis and photovoltaics is not a simple problem. Biello's main purpose with this article is to open up a question to the reader of whether plants are better at capturing solar energy than photovoltaics or vise versa, and how each process contributes to nature. In this essay, 3 main points will be discussed - how each model convert energy, what can each model bring to nature, and how can photosynthesis be improved and still conserve real nature animals, like insects (no enhanced bugs or plants).

Solar Radiation Resource Assessment stations (51 nos) have been installed across India by the Ministry of New and Non-Conventional Energy (MNRE) to create a database of solar energy potential. Data is collected and reported to the Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET), in order to create a Solar Atlas. In June 2015, India started a ₹40 Crore (US$5.9 million) project to measure solar radiation with a spatial resolution of 3 km x 3 km. This solar radiation measuring network will provide the basis for the functioning of the Indian Solar Radiation Atlas. According to officials at NIWE, the Solar Radiation Resource Assessment wing (SRRA) 121 ground stations would measure the three parameters of solar radiation: Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI), Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) and Diffuse Horizontal Irradiance (DHI) to give a highly accurate measure of solar radiation in a particular region.

The flow chart below shows the methodology used in this research project. The difficulty encountered in the project was putting together data from the internet data base. Also, actual meteorological data requests for the sites under study were made but no respond. Hence, developed forecast models data base to put together the data needed for the study.