Annotation2

Maloney, Peter. "Solar Projects Draw New Opposition." // The New York Times // 24 Sept. 2008. Web.

** Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? **  The author writes for the New York Times.

** What is the main topic or argument of the text? **  Maloney discusses the opposition of solar energy in the Mojave Desert. Environmentalists who push for the conservation of the desert claim that the installment of solar energy will ruin the habitat of animals, particularly those of endangered species. On the other hand, there is high demand for renewable energy in California. A law had been instilled such that 20% of California’s energy originates from renewable sources. The Mojave Dessert provides an opportunity for solar energy. Those pushing for this technology say that solar energy is abundant, clean, quiet, and it can be implemented in such a way that it will not significantly impact the environment.

** Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. **  The Mojave Desert provides a lot of sunshine and cloudless skies throughout its climate. This desert is also characteristic of high altitude, so the photons of light have less distance and matter to travel through to reach the ground. Some animals that would be interrupted from their normal ways of life are the Mojave ground squirrel, the desert tortoise, and the burrowing owl. People are offended at the concept that the Mojave Desert is just a wasteland. In Desert Center, CA for example, local families cultivate native shrubs, jojoba. Other disturbances include the relocation of families. A case like this has been reported where it cost a company 250,000 to do so. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management gets applications for solar projects. Advocates for the Mojave Desert wilderness argue that rooftop solar would be a better alternative. Furthermore, the concentrated solar power would require a lot of water. Water is already scarce in the desert. The water goes toward cleaning the mirrors and feeding the turbines. Some solar projects also incorporate chemical spraying on the land to prevent dust buildup on the mirrors. Other solar projects also implement backup generators powered by fossil fuels. Solar energy companies on the other hand have developed a method to keep the water requirement to a minimum. This technology is called “dry cooling,” where water in the system is reused. After the steam is used in the turbine, it is collected to be condensed back into a liquid. Photovoltaics are claimed to be less efficient than solar power plants, for their efficiency rate is generally 12%-14%.

** What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? **  “This sudden flood of solar power projects not only caught the staff of the Bureau of Land Management off guard, it also surprised some environmentalists.” “Mr. Harvey said that if Germany, which is as far north as the Canadian city of Calgary, could have a successful solar power program that relies heavily on rooftops, so could the United States. Germany’s solar program works, he said, because the government offers so-called feed-in tariffs – fixed-rate payments for electricity generated from solar panels.” “These environmentalists favor ‘distributed generation,’ like solar panels on rooftops, and they argue that the leadership of national environmental organization such as the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council has gone in the wrong direction.”

** Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. ** My research focus is to evaluate the solar energy portfolio. Those who oppose concentrated solar power argue that it will negatively impact the Mojave Desert. It further agitates endangered species like the Mojave squirrel. Proponents for concentrated solar power on the other hand claim that their projects can be implemented with the least amount of environmental impact. Photovoltaics are not as efficient or as good in their eyes, but a large photovoltaic initiative has already been instilled successfully in Germany. 