I'm not necessarily against PV solar, but there seems to be a significant issue over the manufacture of PV releasing Nitrogen trifluoride, which is some 17,000 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2 albeit having a much shorter lifetime. I am convinced that rainwater catchment with microhydro, biomass pyrolyization/gasification, and, in particular areas, wind are likely to be the best way for Ithaca and surrounding areas to go. Article regarding NF3 and PV manufacture: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/top10-2008/index6.html
Best, Ryan On Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 10:29 AM, Joel and Sarah Gagnon < [email protected]> wrote: > If you can't make this work, it is hard to imagine what would. The poles > are already there and the investment in new transmission is essentially > zero. > > PV is still not cost-competitive without subsidy. Subsidies make sense to > get a technology into a competitive position, but the economies in > photovoltaics have yet to bring the costs down into a competitive range, > despite many years of subsidy. We are getting close, though. If costs can be > cut in half once more, PV could compete without subsidy. > > Joel > > At 10:04 AM 8/4/09 -0400, you wrote: > >> I think their math is a bit fuzzy. Powering 80,000 homes on 80MW would >> only give each home 1kW and I think typical homes use more like 4-6kW. >> >> I heard the jury is still out of whether solar panels are worth it. The >> embodied energy, manufacturing processes, and shipping of panels >> across the world is probably not the most sustainable use of our >> resources. >> >> As always, I wonder how far $515 million would go towards education and >> making local solutions for low-energy living. Just imagine if groups like >> Sustainable Tompkins were given MILLIONS to educate - it would go a very >> long way I believe. Maybe it doesn't create 100 jobs (although maybe it >> does!), but it goes a lot farther to protect our resources than just >> slapping up solar panels that will be trash a few decades down the road. >> >> -Andy >> >> From: George Frantz <[email protected]> >>> I came across the following editorial from the Towanda PA, Sunday Review. >>> Anybody else hear of utilities turning their transmission lines into energy >>> sources through use of small scale solar electric panels? >>> George Frantz >>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, >> please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ >> >> RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: >> [email protected] >> http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins >> Questions about the list? ask >> [email protected] >> free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org >> > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > Questions about the list? ask > [email protected] > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > -- Ryan Darrell Hottle LEED-AP Environmental Science, PhD Student Carbon Management and Sequestration Center The Ohio State University Rm. 454 Kottman Hall 2021 Coffey Road Columbus, OH 43210 C: (740) 258 8450 NOTE: This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal. _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
