Sterling Dish 500MW solar power plant

how much is the cost of just one of thoues?

The thing is that you can always use some of the excessive heat and store it with salt-based water-accumulators...even though you are using a big collector tower OR stirling engines. I think stirling engines along with energy-efficient households and industries is the way to go!

exactly

Well in sweden it is 20 000 - 25 000 kWh per year for a standard house...which should be around the same size as an american. Swedish climate is also colder, keep that in mind. 500 MW is DEFINATELY the same size as an old nuclear reactor. Sherlock, I do understand that new generation of nuclear powerplants produce EVEN(!) more than that. Hey, would you like to live like 2 miles from a nuclear powerplant?

my energy bill says i uas about 30.35k kwh of electricty, my bill is always lower than most around here. i turn power off to all my electronics when not home or when not in use. also it wouldnt bother me a bit to live close to nuclear, why would it? theres only been a few accidents and the worst being from russia, and that was when it was ussr.i live with in an hour of of 6 power plants. 5 coal and 1 nat. gas plant and none of them bother me. i work at one.

im not against these renewable energy sources, but they cant take all the load, heck they cant even take 5% load. keep in mind that most plants produce alot more than 500mw, those 500 mw reactors are just one unit, most plants use 4 units,i.e.=2000mw, also keep in mind that newer nuclear reactors can make 1000mw and with 4 of them can produce 4000mw. and it doesnt take 5 square miles to produce only 500mw and thats only during peak sunlight hours,amybe 6-8 hours a day

You really are missing the point here. Considering the huge number of different types of power generation there is no need to ague 'either or'

Solar power is perfect for supplying 'peak' demand which coincidentally often happens when the sun is at maximum strength.

You seem to conveniently forget the 'off site' facilities coal and nuclear require.. mining and spent fuel disposal. Solar needs neither!

agreed on the whole no need to argue, but i hate when people think that solar and wind can produce enough power to shutdown all other power supplies. its just not feisable. i agree that we do need to keep pushing new tech. in the last 35 or so years coal has become cleaner to burn,[control the co2,sox with enviromental control systems]

also as for the mining, each mine will put out more than enough coal to make up for the space that is used. i.e more than 500 mw per 5 square miles. my biggest problem is with greenpeace, and the way they call everyone ignorant for not wanting to live in a hut and smell flowers all day.

dude sorry...but I think you are misinformed. I personally believe we do have all the technology needed to shut down ALL FOSSILE FUEL POWER PLANTS..and in like 20 years shut down the nuclear plants of the world. I think people in general are VERY mislead about the possibilities with new technology and what it can do to achieve cheap, clean energy in a viable concept. I've seen so much evidence that makes me very suspicious about the whole energy industry, which is the largest industry of 'em all