Dear Editor,
I’ve been following the story of Lake Mead in the southwest US. Lake Mead was formed in the 1930s when the Hoover Dam blocked the flow of the Colorado River. It was very successful for decades, controlling the flow of water and providing hydroelectric power to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and communities in three states plus parts of Mexico.
Over the past 20 years, there has been inadequate rain and snowfall upstream, and the lake level has been steadily falling, while demand for water and electrical power for household, agricultural and industrial uses has grown. The water level has fallen to the point that the generators are operating at 40 percent capacity and are likely to soon be inoperative. Meanwhile, the now dry lake bed reveals the junk that people have thrown into the lake, including engines, tires, boats and dead bodies.
Here in Quebec, with its usually adequate water flow, hydroelectric power is plentiful and inexpensive if you’re near a power line. I know of several recent installations of solar power systems, in homes and cottages that are too far from the hydro wires for grid power to be feasible. That makes me wonder why, in a land that has lots of sunshine, and too little water, that the American southwest is not solar-powered there and back? Why isn’t every house or office building covered with solar panels? I know from personal experience that solar panels work quite well, and are getting better and less expensive all the time.
No, it’s not a substitute for grid power but it could be a viable way to relieve the stress on the large central generating systems. All the central generators, be they powered by gas, coal or nuclear reactions are basically steam engines. There are costs to mine and transport the fuel and there is pollution caused by burning or fissioning fuel. There is waste involved in transmitting electrical power over long wires. This waste is common with hydroelectric power as well.
Decentralized solar power would reduce those costs. Every person who is considering purchasing an electric vehicle should also consider recharging it by solar power. I’ve seen a photo, I believe it was in Australia, where an office parking lot had solar panels providing shade, while recharging vehicles. Seems like a good idea to me. But here we are in Quebec, currently enjoying a cooling and refreshing rain and inexpensive electric power, so will Nevada take my advice? We’ll see.
One grand plan involves piping water from the Mississippi River overland to the wilting southwest desert, where people inexplicably built their houses and swimming pools. Humans and their big plans.
Robert Wills , Shawville and Thorne, Que.
