http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/emerging-solar-plants-scorch-birds-mid-air-25017031 IVANPAH DRY LAKE, Calif. — Workers at a state-of-the-art solar plant in the Mojave Desert have a name for birds that fly through the plant's concentrated sun rays — "streamers," for the smoke plume that comes from birds that ignite in midair. Federal wildlife investigators who visited the BrightSource Energy plant last year and watched as birds burned and fell, reporting an average of one "streamer" every two minutes, are urging California officials to halt the operator's application to build a still-bigger version.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...argest-solar-farm-SCORCHING-BIRDS-fly-it.html Video from your link didn't work for me.
Bigger solar plants are clearly the answer. That way we can get more than .2% if our energy from this green economy.
The birds will evolve to form sun resistant wings and shit all over the panels. It's natural! It's selection! It's the way of the universe!
So it's a solar barbeque with no carbon emissions. Hey! Electtric fences have been killing birds since the 60's by the truckload not to mention airplanes..they don't scorch them, they mulch them
Check out Ed Begley's website, he gets 100% of his energy from solar energy. It starts at home, it's not a grid that's even developed publicly. I lived for 3 years in a solar home in Hawaii and it was great. Didn't really find a need for the other 98.98% of energy after all. It's a choice and if you really research it, it's affordable. Perfect option for San Diego. Not so great in Portland. I think it's too bad Americans don't follow New Zealand's method of using the tides to generate energy. The argument I read about said we don't want the ocean view cluttered with turbines. The tides are the most constant source of energy on the planet.
I don't know anything about the NZ tide energy, but there is a test project off the Oregon coast at Reedsport, I think. Ocean Power Technologies, or some name like that, is building it. Edit: whoops, I'm out of date. Apparently that project died. barfo
They call the sea lions and dolphins that get caught in that machinery "tuna fish." Go green! Actually, the big issue with tidal systems is barnacles. http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/biofoul/overview.php
Ah yeah I can see how that can be a problem. I know you need to maintain boats in the ocean constantly. That can be very expensive!
It's not terribly surprising. It's concentrating huge amounts of sunlight into a small area. This is much different than traditional solar panels, which also have their faults. But this setup always seemed dangerous to me. It's like saying "News at 11, magnifying glasses have been used to burn ants!"
