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The majority of large-scale solar farms have so far been constructed in the Southwest of the United States due to the intense insolation there. However, the high cost of electricity and the desire to increase the portion of renewables in the electric supply have generated interest in developing large-area plants in other areas. The environmental impact of building such large-scale solar farms in the northern United States has not yet been evaluated; we do so in this paper. This work discusses the life-cycle environmental impact from constructing and operating a 37-MWp solar-photovoltaic power-plant on the forested campus of Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York. We use the results from our assessments of its life-cycle emissions of greenhouse gases are then compared with those generated by similar plants in other regions to assess the net impacts of photovoltaics' life cycles in areas where trees are removed to accommodate the power plant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Electricity consumption of cities has been a major concern for governments, policy makers, and utilities companies. As urbanization becomes a global phenomenon, the modeling of electricity consumption is critical for assessing the sustainability of societies in developed and developing nations. This paper describes a statistical approach for modeling electricity consumption based on demographic characteristics including household income, family size, apartment size, and more importantly the number of electricity demanding appliances in an urban setting. Implications on energy planning, energy saving practices and greenhouse gases emissions are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]