Solar Future?

Last month I made it back to my hometown for the first time in several years. Outside of Cleveland, for all the wind coming in off of Lake Erie, I was still surprised to see that the area had acquired two wind turbines. For a place I grew up associating with economic depression and often seen as quagmired in the fallout of industrial ruin, wind turbines were an unexpected development.

As a key battleground in recent presidential elections, it's not surprising that Ohio is engaged in the same rhetoric surrounding manufacturing that's discussed at the broader national level. For decades, advocates on different sides have alternatively professed that returning to manufacturing is the key to economic growth and seen greater opportunities in "clean" technologies with, at least theoretically, more value-added. At least one town is attempting the latter strategy.

Midwest, represent.

The village of Yellow Springs isn't an unlikely candidate for a solar powerplant. I consider it one of the more eccentric enclaves of Ohio and that impression's been reinforced by its current ambitious undertaking. To quote Dayton Daily News,

"Between the solar array and new Ohio River hydroelectric projects being built now, the Yellow Springs intends to draw more than 50 percent of its power needs from renewable sources in 2013"

Solar and hydroelectric initiatives have in part been spurred by federal tax credits and Ohio's renewable energy standard, as contested as it's been, which requires that 25% of the state's energy come from alternative sources by 2025. That would help move it away from its current coal-dominated energy profile.

Scaling up solar

Although it's too recent for current projects to benefit from it, two researchers at MIT have discovered a better way to arrange mirrors around solar boilers to improve efficiency and save space. The design is based on the Fermat spiral, a design already found in nature.

As long as these piecemeal improvements to plant design continue, the possibility of a solar future looks real. In his State of the Union Address, Obama endorsed leveraging all resources at our disposal to ensure our energy future while pointing out that Germany and China already have an upper hand in solar energy technology. Provided that there are opportunities in solar, it would be wise for America to contend as well.

Of course, the issue isn't whether America should pursue opportunities. It's whether there actually are any. The experiment about to take place in Yellow Springs will help shed some light on the controversy.