Solar Power Doesn't Cut It

Drudge carried a link about a Nevada (the state, not Iowa town) company's plans to build the world's largest photovoltaic-cell array. It didn't say how much area of the rural state it would cover, but it did mention that the projected output would almost double the current world's largest-- from 10 MW to a whopping 18!

A nuclear plant is being built in Finland that will provide 1600 MW. And it will be one of four nuclear plants on a small island.

In all fairness, new designs like solar dishes could do much better than a photovoltaic array. But in the long run, an increasing standard of living will require even more energy per capita (and not just in the U.S.). Now even President Bush doesn't seem to understand that we demand more power than burning woodchips can provide. We should be honest about our goals and honest about the consequences. It should be clear to reasonable people that nuclear energy is the best way because it offers the most bang for the buck, with enough abundance to quench our thirst for centuries. To put it in terms that even a leftist could understand: inflating the price of energy hurts the poor the most.