Friday, August 27th, 2010

Solar / Wind Energy Update

Mirrors aimed at a 'power tower' at a BrightSource Energy installation. The company recently signed contracts with Southern California Edison to build seven similar plants. photo courtesy Edison International

A major wind power installation, the Alta Wind Energy Center, recently broke ground in the Tehachapi Pass of the the Mojave Desert foothills. Although the project is scheduled to take years to complete, it has the potential to bring as much as 3,000 megawatts of power to an area just 75 miles from Los Angeles.

In this segment, we'll get the latest on that project, and on other solar and wind power projects in the US. What can be learned from the European renewable energy industry?

Guests

Severin Borenstein
Professor, Haas School of Business
Co-Director, The Energy Institute at Haas
Director, UC Energy Institute
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California

Ryan Wiser
Staff Scientist
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Berkeley, California

Related Links

Segment produced by:Christopher Intagliata

Image: Abengoa Solar is currently operating the 11-megawatt PS10 solar power tower plant in the background of this photo and is building the 20-megawatt PS20 solar plant in the foreground.
Credit: Abengoa Solar