Chemical Engineer <[email protected]> wrote: Don't you mean frightening for taxpayer's? That is where billion's have > come from . . .
No, most of the money has come from private investors, or from the Chinese government. The U.S. government never invests in these things unless there is more private capital invested. In this case: "The company was in line for nearly $6 million in federal tax credits to build the $18 million facility, but an Amonix statement said those credits were never utilized since it never had the taxable income to support it." Note that this company collapsed mainly because the founder was killed in an airplane crash. That happened with two computer startups in the 1980s. It says: "The company did secured a $15 million grant from the Department of Energy in 2007 to work on manufacturing technology that would drive down costs." That was probably money well spent. Something is driving down the costs rapidly, and the DoE does share technology developed in these agreements. It could be that the Chinese investments are driving down costs. In the U.S., the DoE has lately been concentrating on reducing the cost of installation rather than manufacturing. > . . . while the US government goes trillions into debt. Since 1800 the U.S. and British governments have invested in just about every major technology on earth. They have lost money in some instances but overall they have earned vastly more in tax revenues. Uncle Sam either invented or paid for lasers and the computer for example. Those investments have paid back a few million times over. In the case of PV solar power, the Chinese government has invested -- and so far lost -- far more than the U.S. government. - Jed
