Sustainable Energy Alternatives for the Southwest - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 510

TABLE 29.1
Summary of Environmental and Economic Features of Major Southwestern Resources

Major Renewable Energy Technologies Likely to Be Developed
over Next 10-20 Years Fossil-Fueled Generation

CSP with
Thermal
Storage

Coal-Fired
Generation

Gas-Fired
Generation

Distributed
PV a

Central
Station PV

Energy
Eficiency Factor Wind Geothermal

Environmental
compatibility

Carbon dioxide
emissions

• ⦿ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪

Health impacts ⦿ to • ⚪ to ⦿ b ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪

⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪

Impairment of
visibility or visual
intrusion

⦿ to • ⚪ to ⦿

Impacts on wildlife ⦿ to • ⚪ to • b ⚪ ⚪ to ⦿ ⚪ to ⦿ ⚪ to • ⚪ ⚪

Water use • ⦿ c ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ to • ⦿ d ⚪

Economic
factors

Uncertainty of fuel
prices

Moderate High Not applicable—no fuel required

Current economic
costs

Low fuel cost,
high capital
cost

Low capital cost,
uncertain fuel
cost

High but
declining

Moderate
to high,
declining

Moderate Moderate

to high

Moderate Low

Availability of
power

Whenever needed Subject to availability of wind or

sunlight

Whenever needed

Key : Intensity of environmental incompatibilities: •, high incompatibility; ⦿, moderate incompatibility; ⚪, low incompatibility.
a Distributed PV projects are located at or near the point of electricity consumption, such as on a consumer's rooftop or shade structure.
b Impacts occur at well sites; for example, there may be health impacts from obtaining natural gas from shale and there are impacts on wildlife from exploration, drill-
ing, and extraction of natural gas.
c For a combined cycle unit; a combustion turbine would consume very small amounts of water.
d Assuming a binary plant with hybrid cooling.