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Article: Hot times for solar energy: utility-scale solar thermal power may be poised for the big time.(concentrating solar power)
- Article from:
- World Watch
- Article date:
- March 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Worldwatch Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Fly into the surreal rainbow glow of the Las Vegas strip at twilight and it becomes clear why the state of Nevada has become a metaphor for the energy crossroads confronting the United States. The city's hunger for electricity, like its visitors' appetite for carnal indulgence, is insatiable; it is the seat of Clark County, the second fastest growing county in the United States. Nevada's two public utilities project that the state will hit an electricity capacity shortfall of 2,100 megawatts by 2016 if more isn't built.
The vision of a future powered by fossil fuels in one of the sunniest spots in the world strikes many people, including Harry Reid---majority ...