The Overproduction of Electricity Power in Spain - Report Example

Erb, Kelly Phillips. “Out Of Ideas and In Debt, Spain Sets Sights on Taxing the Sun.” The Forbes Magazine, August 19, a. Problem or Topic that is being addressed The problem being addressed under this article is the problem of seeking for ways to address the overproduction of electricity power in Spain (Erb, n.p.). The global convention is that almost all the countries are struggling on how to produce enough power that will meet both the industrial and the residential needs of the country’s citizens. Alternatively, under circumstances where a country is producing sufficient electric power to serve both the industrial and the residential needs, such a country is seeking for ways to move from the production of electricity through fuels, to the green energy production, which is environmentally friendly and the ultimate target of the global environmental conservation forum. Thus, the problem addressed under this article of the Forbes Magazine is a unique concept that is not likely to replicate anywhere in the world. This is because of two major reasons. First, Spain is addressing the problem of overproduction of electricity, thus is seeking for ways to reduce the electricity production by the residents, so that they can in turn go back to depending on the main electricity grid that is billable and taxable (Erb, n.p.). Secondly, Spain is seeking to move away from the production of green energy to reverting back to the conventional non-green energy production and consumption. This unexpected and even astonishing scenario has been created by the fact that the Spanish population has adapted the use of solar energy for producing and converting sunlight heat energy into electric energy massively (Erb, n.p.). The mere fact that Spain experiences longer periods of sunlight annually, to the tune of close to 3,000 hours of sunlight in some cities annually, the installation of sunlight therefore means that the residents are able to produce more energy than they may actually need to use in their homes (Erb, n.p.). Consequently, as opposed to the normal situation where the residents are served by power from the main electric grid offered by the power producers and in turn required to pay monthly electricity bills, the Spanish population is producing more electric energy than it can use at home, thus selling the extra energy produced back to the main grid of the electricity power generating company in the country (Erb, n.p.). This scenario has meant that the government of Spain is faced by the dilemma of addressing the overproduction of electricity energy, since the demand for electric power in Spain is lower than the supply, meaning that the Spanish government is constantly in debt to the main grid electricity producers, to the tune of $34.73 billion U.S. (Erb, n.p.). Having incurred such huge debts, the Spanish government is now looking for ways to limit the production of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy, so that the residents can revert to the use of the normal billable electricity power generated by the power generating companies in the country (Erb, n.p.). The problem/topic being addressed by the article is a very unique problem, which could not be foreseen when the campaign towards increasing the use of solar as a form of clean energy was being introduced. b. Prior approaches to solving the problem The prior approach to solving the problem of energy need in Spain was through the introduction of a program that campaigned for, encouraged and even subsidized the use of solar panels for electric power generation by residents (Erb, n.p.). This campaign was introduced by the Spanish government to address two major problems. First, the introduction of the campaign for encouraging and subsidizing the use of the solar panels by the residents of major cities in Spain was meant to ensure the residents would be in a position to produce enough electric power on their own, and thus cease depending on the main electricity grid from the power generating suppliers, which was insufficient to cover both the industrial and the residential power needs (Erb, n.p.). Secondly, the introduction of the campaign to increase the use of solar panels by the residents of the main cities in Spain was meant to enhance the shift from fuel-based electricity generation to clean electric power generation through solar panels. In this respect, the intention of introducing the use of solar panels for electric power generation was noble. However, the unintended consequences arose from the fact that the residents took up the subsidized solar panels in large numbers, making every home within the cities adapt the use of the solar panel generated electricity (Erb, n.p.). This scenario translated into the production of so much solar power that the quantity of the electricity power generated exceeded the demand by closed to 60% (Erb, n.p.). Consequently, the massive residential solar power generation created a problem for the Spanish government, since as opposed to meeting the deficit that was existing in electric power supply, the solar panel electric power generation resulted in the need for the residents to sell the excess power generated at homes to the main grid electric power generating companies (Erb, n.p.). The debt owed by the government to the electricity generating companies has increased to unprecedented levels, because the home residents who produce excess electric power from the solar panel get paid to sell the excess power back to the producers. Thus, the previous approach to address the energy needs of the major cities in Spain has turned out to be a major disaster for the government, owing to the fact that the energy demands from the main electric grid is only finding demand in the rural areas of Spain and very little from the Cities (Erb, n.p.). This occurrence in itself is problematic because the electric power demand in the rural areas is not high, meaning that the power generated by the electricity power generating companies is simply stored and accumulated, while the cost of production of electricity continues to be incurred. Thus, the prior approach to solving the electric power need has proven to be ineffective, since it has bred a bigger dilemma for the Spanish government, than the initial problem of shortage of electric power supply. c. Current trends The current trend is that the photovoltaic (PV) solar energy capacity in Spain is already bigger than the initially intended capacity, with the overproduction of the electric power from the solar panel by more 60% of the electric power needed (Erb, n.p.). The excessive supply of the electric energy results in a demand-supply imbalance. This then translates to the Spanish government owing the electricity power generating companies a debt of 26 billion Euros (Erb, n.p.). Further, Spain now remains on top of the countries with a high level of installed PV solar panel energy generating capacity (Erb, n.p.). In this respect, the Spanish government is adapting various approaches to reversing the current trend, through initiating several measures that will discourage the use of solar panel generated energy in the country, especially the major cities with a high resident population. The first measure that the government has adapted is the implementation of a policy regulation that prohibits the selling of excess energy generated by the residents back to the electric power producers in the country (Erb, n.p.).The second initiative that the government has put in place is scaling back the use of solar panels through introducing a range of onerous fines and taxes to the users of the solar panels to generate electricity, so that they can in turn be discouraged and made to revert back to the consumption of the main grid electricity supply (Erb, n.p.). The final, and apparently the harshest measure that the Spanish government is implementing to regulate the use of the solar panels generated energy is to introduce a policy regulation that requires the reconnection of all the solar panels in the residential houses back to the main electricity grid, so that the residents can be charged and billed for the use of the energy they are generating from the solar panels (Erb, n.p.). When the residents fail to reconnect back to the main grid, the government has introduced fines that defy any form of reason, through requiring that the failure to reconnect back to the main grid will attract a fine of between 6 million and 30 million Euros (Erb, n.p.). The intention of introducing such a huge fine is to scare the residents into cooperating with the established policy regulation, considering the fact that the residents will be paying for their own production of energy from solar panels which is a highly unfeasible option economically. Thus, the residents prefer to revert to the previous system of purchasing power from the main grid electricity power generating and supply companies (Erb, n.p.). Nevertheless, this policy regulation has emerged as being very unpopular amongst the people, with some of the residents vowing to disobey the policy regulation and continue producing their own tax-free electric power (Erb, n.p.). The measures introduced by the Spanish government is not only stirring dialogue in Spain, but also in the USA and Germany, where such rules are gradually simmering in the legislation circles, especially in the state of Arizona, which is seeking to charge its residents for purchasing back the excessive power they generate from the solar panel generated electricity (Erb, n.p.). d. The role of a mechanical and energy engineer in the solution The role of a mechanical and energy engineer in creating the solution to the problem currently experienced in Spain is to reconnect the solar panel generated energy back to the main grid. The Spanish government has finally decided that the solar panels owned by the residents should either be fined or taxed (Erb, n.p.). The fines will be charged on the residents who fail to reconnect their solar panel generated electric power back to the main grid, while taxes will be imposed through the conventional methods of billing the residents for the electricity usage on a monthly basis from the power that they are generating through their own solar panels (Erb, n.p.). However, this process cannot occur without the mechanical and the energy engineers, who are playing a major role in the process of reconnecting the solar energy power back to the main grid of electricity supply. The mechanical engineers play an important role in devising the right equipments and tools necessary for converting the solar energy into electricity power. On the other hand, the energy engineers are the ones involved in devising the billing systems that will be applied towards charging the residents the normal electricity charges that occurs in the form of electricity bills. e. How would this technology impact society in general? The Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy technology is a technology that empowers the general society, since the society incurs only the initial cost of the solar panel system, thus making this form of electricity generation cheaper, since sunlight is a free commodity (Hough, 55). Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy technology is a form of technology that generates electricity from sunlight, through the application of an electronic process that follows the natural process of material conversion via semiconductors (Hough, 55). The solar panel technology is an ancient technology that has been applied in generating power for use at homes, although to a very small scale. However, the recent photovoltaic (PV) solar energy technology is a modern concept that bypasses the traditional process of converting the sunlight energy into electric energy, by making it possible to convert the sunlight directly into instantaneously usable electric energy (Hough, 56). The other way in which this technology empowers the general society is that it acts as a source of income, considering that the excess energy can be sold back to the main grid. The Photovoltaic (PV) technology enables the solar energy electrons to be freed by the solar energy, allowing the energy created to be induced to travel in an electric circuit and thus convert into electric power instantly, or allowing the electricity to be channeled back to the electricity grid (Hough, 55). This technology has impacted on the society by making it possible to produce high levels of electric power from the sunlight, considering the fact that the conversion of sunlight directly into electricity power ensures that there is no energy that is lost in the process. Further, this technology impacts on the society by allowing the access to electricity power through the use of the solar panels, and thus eliminate the dependence of the general society on the supply of electricity from the power generating companies (Hough, 55). Consequently, the general society is empowered, since the Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy technology makes it cheaper to access electricity, since it does not involve monthly bills being charged on the use of this electricity. The other impact of the Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy technology is that it eliminates the adverse effects of fuel-generated electricity that entails environmental pollution (Hough, 57). Consequently, the society is able to live in a pollution-free environment, since solar energy is a form of clean energy that does not have any adverse impacts on the environment. f. Courses in MEE that would be related to this topic Thermodynamics is one of the Courses in MEE that would be related to this topic, since thermodynamics as a course deals with energy and the transformation of energy as well as properties of thermodynamic materials and systems (Hough, 77). Thus, the course would be related to the topic, since the topic of this article addresses the issue of energy, in the form of the transformation of sunlight energy into electricity energy. The other course that would be related to this topic is the Applied Mechanics course, since this course deals with the motion of particles and the concepts of work and energy, all of which are related to the concept of energy that is dealt with in the article topic. Finally, the Materials science and Engineering course would be related to the topic of this article, since this course deals with the relationship between materials, in the form of composition and the thermal treatment properties (Hough, 72). g. Companies that are engaged in engineering related to this Advanced Energy Industries is a global energy company that has a leading role in the renewable energy industry, offering energy conversion solutions related to the transformation of solar energy directly into usable electricity power (Ross, n.p.). Therefore, the company is competent in dealing with Photovoltaic solar energy technology, which is the subject of this article (Erb, n.p.). Panasonic Eco Solutions is another energy company that seeks to offer a range of innovation solutions in the green energy industry (Ross, n.p.). Energy Resource Solutions is yet another global energy company that offers a range of solution in green and clean energy, making it one of the companies that is related to the topic of this article, since the article addresses the issue of clean energy in the form of conversion of solar energy into electricity (Erb, n.p.). These three companies are global leaders in the green energy solutions, and through offering both consultancy services as well as designing the relevant energy systems such as the solar panel systems that are involved in the direct transformation of solar energy into usable electricity (Ross, n.p.). Works Cited Erb, Kelly Phillips. “Out Of Ideas and In Debt, Spain Sets Sights on Taxing the Sun.” The Forbes Magazine, August 19, 2013. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2013/08/19/out-of-ideas-and-in-debt-spain-sets-sights-on-taxing-the-sun/ Hough, Tom P. Recent Developments in Solar Energy. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2007. 55-144. Print. Ross, Kelvin. Top 250 energy companies revealed. Power Engineering International, October 30, 2013. Available at: http://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/2013/10/top-250-energy-companies-revealed.html Read More