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Solar Power brings a Modern-Day Gold Rush to California’s Land in the Desert
Julie Cart, reporter for the Los Angeles Times, wrote that as solar power gains importance, remote and privately-owned desert land in California is sought after by developers, who are seeking land for renewable energy. The asking price for 3,400 acres of desert land with blistering sun is $ 34 million. Solar project developers are buying scarce privately-owned land in the Mojave Desert because the projects could be developed more quickly than on federal land
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In addition, farmers have joined the mega-deals and converted alfalfa and cotton fields to solar and wind farms. Some deals have turned farmers into millionaires. Ten years ago, desert land that had no water and the wind blew constantly near the town of Mojave, was purchased for $350 an acre. The price today for the desert land would be $ 10,000 an acre.
In the heated arena of real estate speculation, however, some deals do not pan out because some solar development projects do not materialize due to lack of government incentives or when purchase agreements do not come through.
The Article: Land speculators see silver lining in solar power
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Solar Home in Chatsworth, CaliforniaIn Southern California, where sunshine is abundant, Carl Harberger, a homeowner in Chatsworth, built a solar-powered home with special thin-film rooftop panels.The home's 24-kilowatt installation will power lighting, eletronics, air conditioning and all the water, in addition to running the forced air heating system, clothes dryer and oven. Carl Harberger designed the house that has a curved rooftop. He chose the flexible thin-film panels because they can accomodate the home's curved surfaces. Some attractive pictures of this solar home, photographed by Ricardo DeAratanha, are shown below.
The article, "Thin-film solar panels: A flexible way to use the sun's rays", appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
Thin-film solar panels cover the curved roof of this home in Chatsworth.
Photo Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha, Los Angeles Times
Zillow Gives us a Look at the Future Home of 2015
Photo Credit: Zillow
According to Erika Riggs of Zillow, the new homes of 2015 will be smaller and the focus will be on more efficient heating and cooling in addition to the use of ceiling fans to distribute heat evenly.
Photovotaic panels on the roof will generate electrical power and galvanized siding will help to insulate the house to be energy efficient.
Read article in Yahoo Real Estate: New Homes of 2015
An article in Home Power magazine titled, "Jobs Study: Solar Workforce on the Rise"., presented some information about job growth in the following occupations:
Photovoltaic system installers
Electricians with specific experience in solar installations
Sales occupations at wholesale trade firms
Sales representatives or estimators at installation firms
Roofers with specific experience in solar installations
Thin-film solar panels cover the curved roof of this home in Chatsworth.
