Re: [Vo]:U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects

[Mike Carrell]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harry Veeder" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <vortex-l@eskimo.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2008 2:14 PM
Subject: Re: [Vo]:U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects



Considering _just_ their reflectivity, would big farms of solar panels
contribute to global warming or reduce it?

MC: If you are talking about solar-thermal, the mirrors concentrate sunlight 
on absorbing tubes, so if you are the sun, you see a huge dark patch which 
blots up your radiance -- the net energy absorbed gets eventually converted 
to heat, so the effect on global warming is neutral. "Global warming" is not 
due to man's use of energy [which eventually reduces to heat] but to the 
"greenhouse" effect of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane which block 
the radiation of earth's heat into space, so the sun's heat accumulates as 
in a greenhouse. Solar PV panels appear dark blue or black because they also 
absorb sunlight but do not release greenhouse gases.

Mike Carrell



Harry



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