On Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:21:31 -0400, John Colvin
<john.loughran.col...@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tuesday, 11 June 2013 at 18:47:35 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
On 6/11/2013 8:28 AM, Adam D. Ruppe wrote:
It is great stuff, solar power is almost free money if you can wait 20
years for
it.
Yeah, but you'll have to replace it before 20 years!
Source? There's not much that wears out in a photovoltaic AFAIK. The
associated electrical components may break however, especially on some
of the more complex setups.
I have to laugh at this. "Solar is *almost* free money *if* you can wait
20 years"
Solar isn't ready yet. It's not cost effective. But cost effectiveness
isn't even the issue. It's not sustainable. You need fossil fuels to
mine the materials, ship them, assemble the components, etc. Until you
can power all those things with pure solar, you are still dependent on
fossil fuel.
I've seen all these "Solar farm" installations, and they are butt-ugly. I
find it ironic that we are cutting down trees to make room for these
things...
You can save energy more cost effectively in other ways. I have no doubt
that solar technology will continue to innovate, but the worst thing we
can do right now is subsidize it. When it's ready (and it will be), it
will succeed on its own merits.
-Steve
