As the unflappable Marty McFly puts it: "What the Hell is a Gigawatt?"
Back to the Future in 5 Seconds
http://youtu.be/...
Short answer: It's a LOT of energy.
Longer answer: Ask China ...
China to add over 2.0 GW solar power capacity in 2011
BEIJING -- Fri Nov 11, 2011
(Reuters) - New solar power capacity in China, the world's top energy user, may quadruple from last year to more than 2.0 gigawatts (GW) this year, an official of the research arm of the National Development and Research Commission (NDRC) said on Friday.
[...]
The government has raised its installed solar capacity target for 2020 to 50 GW, up from the previous goal of 20 GW, state media have quoted Li as saying.
Is China actually going Green? ... Yes, and from the sounds of it, in a BIG way too ...
It seems that China, has realized we all share only One Planet. A small Planet.
And it's a Planet we all need to start taking care of. There are limits to Growth afterall ...
The impact of China’s 12th Five Year Plan
April 24, 2011
by Yongsheng Zhang, Senior Research Fellow at the Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC), PRC.
[...]
At the top of the new blueprint [the 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) (2011-2015)] is a commitment to transforming China’s development model from the current low-efficiency, high-growth model to a more balanced model that seeks to address a whole range of increasingly important concerns. The targets of the new model include economic growth, structural adjustment, social services development, carbon mitigation and environmental protection, and transparency and governance reforms.
[...]
Good for China, finally.
The US of A will soon, no longer have the excuse: "Well China is pouring CO2 into the sky too!" ... (ie. "They need to go first!")
But that still begs the opening question: "What the Hell is a Gigawatt?"
China just tapped 2.0 Gigawatts (GW) from the sun last year, and are upping their 10-year National Solar target, from a measly 20 Gigawatts to a whopping 50 Gigawatts!
A Gigawatt is a National Solar Energy goal for China -- well actually 50 of them!
How are other civilized countries faring in their own versions of Solar Gigawatt "Apollo Projects"?
Solar market sees pickup, but a flat market is predicted for 2012
by Raj Prabhu, pv-magazine -- Nov. 08, 2011
Germany
The German solar market is finally showing signs of life. After a lackluster first half, Germany installed about 2.2 gigawatts (GW) between the months of June and September 2011. [...] the market is expecting a "big rush" to install before the tariff cuts; therefore installations worth about six GW are expected in 2011.
Italy
[...] states that 3.5 GW was grid connected in calendar year (CY) 2010. In the year-to-date, 6.5 GW has been installed, according to GSE, and it anticipates installations of about 8.5 GW by year end.
France
[...] The only thing supporting the French market in 2011 is the exemption of about 3.5 GW of grandfathered systems. About two GW of these are expected to be installed in 2011 and 2012.
Japan
Japan may end up shutting down all of its 54 nuclear power plants by year end, according to Japanese Trade Ministry officials. [...] Japan at the moment is struggling with regular power shortages since the Fukushima disaster and has set a goal of achieving 28 GW of cumulative photovoltaics by 2020.
Well that begs the question, how is the US of A responding to this Solar Gigawatt "arms race" of the 21st century?
United States
The United States installed almost 900 MW of photovoltaics in 2010, and predictions are that this number will double in 2011. Even with rapidly declining module prices in the first half of the year, the market was not exactly spectacular. The wild card is the 30 percent treasury cash grant program, which will expire at the end of 2011 and may fuel a year end rush, unless renewed.
USA: a measly 1.8 Gigawatts by years end for the leader of the "free world" -- that's assuming the unfolding Solyndra Saga doesn't first send us back to the fossil fuels dark ages, first ...
Are there any bright spots in the US Solar Gigawatt energy future? Well those crazy Californians are still leading the way. Unlike the old-school Oil crowd from TX and WY, the CA entrepreneurs seem ready to give China a real run for its future Green Energy money ...
California on track to 3 GW of solar by 2016
Environment California Research & Policy Center says California’s 'Million Solar Roofs Initiative' is on track to meet its goal of installing 3 GW of solar capacity by 2016.
by Kari Williamson, RenewableEnergyFocus -- Nov. 10, 2011
California has recently reached the first gigawatt milestone in rooftop solar installation.
“California can become the Saudi Arabia of the sun if it continues to get behind big, successful solar programmes,” says Michelle Kinman, Clean Energy Advocate with Environment California Research & Policy Center and co-author of the report, Building a Brighter Future: California’s Progress Toward a Million Solar Roofs.
“All signs point to a bright future for solar power in California, meaning cleaner air, cleaner energy, and more jobs.” [...]
WTG California!
Don't let the Clean Free Energy Future of the 21st century, pass a vision-less America, by ...
Afterall those free Gigawatts are just there for that taking ...
Largest Solar Plant in Europe Powers Up
http://youtu.be/...
"aims to reach 100,000 Megawatt-hours per year" (that's 100 Gigawatt-hours, annually -- WTG Ukraine!)
USA BREAKS its RECORD for Solar Power! --
Largest USA Photovoltaic Power Plant
uploaded Dec 12, 2010
http://youtu.be/...
"48 Megawatt Solar Panel facility" (That .048 Gigawatts ... Hmmm? What is that in GW-hours, per year? ... Where is the inscrutable Doc Brown when you need him?)
New Mexico's largest solar plant unveiled in Carlsbad
http://youtu.be/...
"enough electricity to power 200,000 homes for 20 years" -- WTG New Mexico!
But all this still leaves unanswered, that important question ...
"What the Hell is a Gigawatt?"
Gigawatt -- wikipedia
The gigawatt is equal to one billion (10^9) watts or 1 gigawatt = 1000 megawatts. This unit is sometimes used for large power plants or power grids. For example, by the end of 2010 power shortages in China's Shanxi province were expected to increase to 5–6 GW[8] and the installed capacity of wind power in Germany was 25.8 GW.[9]
Like I said, it's a LOT of energy.
Hmmm? Next Question: I wonder how much it costs to "get them out of the ground"?