Jed, Concentrated Solar thermal has been around for 40 years and the costs still suck. They are assembling 350,000 mirrors/heliostats at the job site. How effective do you think that is? How much more time do they need to be competitive? 50 years, 500 years, 5000 years? I am glad I don't live in California, they are getting boned by the greenie weenies complements of Arnold & Obama.
I'll get my robot(s) when they add value and are cost effective and I won't look for a government subsidy or handout. I suggest you buy one now! On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 3:05 PM, Jed Rothwell <[email protected]> wrote: > Chemical Engineer <[email protected]> wrote: > > Shouldn't the costs be going down Jed? >> >> >> http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/12/05/pge-says-it-will-meet-california-s-renewable-energy-goals&utm_medium=eNL&utm_campaign=RB_DAILY2&utm_term=Original-Member >> >> As an engineer i have to deal with reality which focuses my creativity . >> . . >> > > As an engineer you should know that by the time you manufacture 780 > million mirrors, the cost per unit will fall. > > Please stop playing the fool. > > As I am sure you know -- as ANYONE knows -- solar and wind electricity are > more expensive than coal today. If that were not so, the power companies > would be abandoning coal as quickly as they could phase out the old plants. > However, when you factor in externalities such as the ~20,000 people killed > per year from coal smoke, and the cost of global warming, coal is a lot > more expensive. And if you build ~50 gigawatts of CSP plants the cost will > fall by a large factor. There is nothing inherently expensive about > reflectors. > > > >> Sorry I keep forgetting i can use unlimited ungrounded creativity and >> make stuff up. Robots for everybody! >> > > If you do not think we will soon have robots for everyone, you are not an > engineer. Looking around in 1980, did you have any doubt that we would soon > all have computers. What on earth will prevent us from having robots?!? Why > do you think it would be a problem to equip a major CSP installation with > robots to clean the reflectors? Do you think people are going to use Windex > and paper towels in the 21st century? > > - Jed > >
