The Independent reported recently that our Southwest Valley friends claim a proposed solar energy facility will block their view of an ancient cinder-cone volcano (“Southwest Valley residents claim solar plant will block view of volcano,” Daily Independent, Dec. 15, 2020).

A San Francisco-based firm wants to build a 250-megawatt capacity solar plant on 3.7 square miles of land just west of Buckeye. Neighbors, rightfully so, do not want their scenic view disrupted by such a facility.

It’s just not the view that concerns me. The electricity production from solar systems is terribly inefficient. So much so that solar takes 75 times the land than does a same-capacity central power plant.

In fact, just to replace the existing nuclear power from the Palo Verde Station, still farther west, close to 300 square miles of real estate would be covered with solar panels.

As our population and energy needs to continue to grow, we need to conserve all the precious land we can. I believe that is best accomplished with proven, 24/7, emission-free, nuclear power.

Rich Andrews
Sun City