Power Predictions at a Desert Salt Station

Energy at Dry Basin

At Dry Basin Salt Station, workers weigh salt and pack it into bags. Their machines need 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity during each workday. A kilowatt-hour is a unit used to measure electrical energy. The station has rooftop solar panels, a small wind turbine, and a diesel generator. The generator makes electricity by burning diesel fuel. Workers are comparing ways to power the same machines while using less diesel.

Diesel is made from petroleum, also called crude oil, taken from underground. Coal and natural gas are other underground fuels used to produce electricity. These three natural resources formed over millions of years. Their supplies do not rebuild fast enough to replace what people use. Sunlight and wind are renewable resources: natural processes keep supplying them. Solar panels collect energy from sunlight, and wind turbines use energy from moving air.

Burning diesel, coal, or natural gas releases carbon dioxide, a gas that adds to Earth's warming. Burning these fuels can also release air pollutants. Mining coal and drilling for petroleum or natural gas can disturb habitats. Solar panels and wind turbines make electricity without burning fuel. They still have environmental effects. Clearing desert shrubs for ground-mounted panels removes animal shelter. Poorly placed wind turbines can harm flying birds. The station's existing roof has room for more panels without clearing shrubs.

Workers recorded electricity from the same solar panels and wind turbine over three workdays. They kept the equipment, its location, and the length of the workday the same. They measured each system's electrical energy. Day 1 was sunny and calm. Day 2 was cloudy and windy. Day 3 was sunny and windy. Use these records as estimates for similar weather, not as promises. The station uses renewable electricity first. Diesel supplies any amount still needed to reach 10 kilowatt-hours. Extra electricity is unused because the station has no storage battery.