Solar power takes root in Arizona

TUCSON — Five U.S. members of Congress converged on normally sun-baked Southern Arizona on Monday to learn about using solar power to run utility-sized generator stations and not just smaller units that run on homeowners’ roofs.

But someone forgot to cue the sun.

For most of the day, low storm clouds intermittently blocked the sun, and a frosting of light snow or frost cloaked some of the nearby mountains.

To their credit, none of the guests commented about the weather.

One of those testifying, Tucson Electric Power’s Tom Hansen, said every state and region can produce solar-generated power.

But Arizona and other Southwestern states win hands down as the place to turn the sun’s energy into useful power.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., arranged the meeting.

She’s a member of the House’s subcommittee on energy and environment, a part of the House’s Committee on Science and Technology.

Colleagues here for the meeting were Ralph Hall of Texas, Dan Lipinski of Illinois who is vice chair of the full committee, Jim Matheson from Utah and Harry Mitchell, a Phoenix-area congressman.

Although he missed the Tucson meeting, Tennessee’s U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, chairman of the full Science and Technology Committee, called his comments to a speaker phone.

He told his colleagues that Germany is ahead of the United States in now relying solar-generated power.

In her opening statement, Rep. Giffords said it’s time to get cracking on expanding solar power to handle a large part of America’s energy needs.

“Solar is a BIG IDEA whose time has come,” her opening statement said.

She said large-scale solar power helps preserve the climate, reduces America’s dependence on foreign oil and “boosts our economic competitiveness.”

There were six witnesses who read statement and took questions from the representatives.

Tom Hansen of Tucson Electric Power, TEP, testified that “only solar energy can supply all our projected energy needs for the near-term future,” adding:

“Solar energy is abundant, ubiquitous, sustainable to meet the total energy needs of the United States for centuries in the future.”

Although the power company hasn’t take a stance on developing alternative energy sources, it is financing several experiments, including a large solar generation plant at Springerville.

Three things that need to be overcome, Hansen said, are developing the solar system to “refine the energy in the light rays of the sun into electricity,” find ways to store and preserve the sun-powered electricity and ways to link the solar-generated electricity of users and to store it.

He referred often to the Solar Grand Plan that would coordinate many of the solutions to achieving ways to generate, store and distribute solar-generated electricity.

If acted upon soon, he estimated, by 2020 solar systems could power the United States.

He compared a nationwide commitment to become a solar giant to the 35-year construction of the Interstate Highway System.

Barbara Lockwood of Arizona Public Service also said her company is committed to providing affordable solar-powered electricity.

APS is constructing a 280 megawatt solar plant, the Solana station, 70 miles southwest of Phoenix near Gila Bend,

The plant will be generally pollution free, she said.

“Solana is an emission-free source of electricity, avoiding nearly 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 1,065 tons of nitrogen oxides and 520 tons of sulfur dioxide each year,” she said adding:

“It is the equivalent of removing 80,000 cars from the road each year.”

She also said, “Solana will also use 75 percent less water than the current agriculture usage of the land.”

The speakers all said this kind of solar-powered electricity utopia will require support from the government in the form of subsidies, tax waivers or other things.

There are several ways to convert the sun’s energy into electricity.

One is using photovalic systems, where the sun’s rays fall on cells and are immediately converted into electricity.

Another is using the sun to superheat water or other solutions that could drive generators.

Both are good only when the sun shines and not after dark.

Solar-heated hot water can be stored for when the sun doesn’t shine.

Some of the power can be stored in batteries, but it must be stored in direct current electricity, and most electric users in America rely on alternating current power. Converters must be used, but some of the generated power is lost in this process.

jlamb@gvnws.com | 547-9749