Comments on: Solar Energy a Tough Sell http://blog.dickharper.com/2008/06/09/solar/ Most excellent shines and whines Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:54:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Dick http://blog.dickharper.com/2008/06/09/solar/#comment-261 Dick Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:20:46 +0000 http://blog.dickharper.com/2008/06/09/solar/#comment-261 > As for Florida, maybe it’s too hazy. I'm not worried about the sky conditions as much as the mind conditions. After all, we know that solar power generation is horribly expensive and maybe technically difficult today and that seems to be the Miami Herald's reason we should eschew it. If expense and difficulty were a good reason, we'd still be using buggy whips and posting these notes by carrier pigeon. For the record, Florida has strong sun but not 100%. That said, Florida is waaaaaaay sunnier than Germany where it already works. > As for Florida, maybe it’s too hazy.

I’m not worried about the sky conditions as much as the mind conditions. After all, we know that solar power generation is horribly expensive and maybe technically difficult today and that seems to be the Miami Herald’s reason we should eschew it.

If expense and difficulty were a good reason, we’d still be using buggy whips and posting these notes by carrier pigeon.

For the record, Florida has strong sun but not 100%. That said, Florida is waaaaaaay sunnier than Germany where it already works.

]]> By: Don http://blog.dickharper.com/2008/06/09/solar/#comment-259 Don Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:45:28 +0000 http://blog.dickharper.com/2008/06/09/solar/#comment-259 Are solar cells and other chips really similar enough for Moore's Law to apply? I wouldn't think solar energy collection to be much about transistor gate size. But I shouldn't think at all without a little research, I guess, and I can't be arsed right now. As for Florida, maybe it's too hazy. I've only been there a little, but the sunlight was not particularly intense when I was. All that pointlessly said, I look forward to the installation of solar arrays over all these sun-drenched parking lots. Are solar cells and other chips really similar enough for Moore’s Law to apply? I wouldn’t think solar energy collection to be much about transistor gate size. But I shouldn’t think at all without a little research, I guess, and I can’t be arsed right now. As for Florida, maybe it’s too hazy. I’ve only been there a little, but the sunlight was not particularly intense when I was. All that pointlessly said, I look forward to the installation of solar arrays over all these sun-drenched parking lots.

]]> By: gekko http://blog.dickharper.com/2008/06/09/solar/#comment-253 gekko Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:13:35 +0000 http://blog.dickharper.com/2008/06/09/solar/#comment-253 It's interesting that the article complained about lack of direct sunlight as a reason that solar is less desirable. Would you consider Germany to be a particularly sunny land? I wouldn't, and yet Germany, while not first in the list of countries deriving their energy from solar, is way up there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Germany Solar may not be the only answer, but it is a damned fine one and anyone whining that it's not viable is a fuckwit. It’s interesting that the article complained about lack of direct sunlight as a reason that solar is less desirable.

Would you consider Germany to be a particularly sunny land? I wouldn’t, and yet Germany, while not first in the list of countries deriving their energy from solar, is way up there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Germany

Solar may not be the only answer, but it is a damned fine one and anyone whining that it’s not viable is a fuckwit.

]]> By: Dick http://blog.dickharper.com/2008/06/09/solar/#comment-251 Dick Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:52:07 +0000 http://blog.dickharper.com/2008/06/09/solar/#comment-251 DOING THE NASTY According to the Miami Herald, "Natural gas, the cleanest and most expensive fossil fuel, costs 9.4 cents a kilowatt-hour, according to the California Energy Commission. That nasty, dirty coal, the biggest producer of greenhouse gases, is also the cheapest. An existing plant can produce electricity for 2.1 cents a kilowatt-hour, FPL regulatory filings say." I love it when a newspaper sneaks its editorial bias into its straight reportage: "That nasty, dirty coal, the biggest producer of greenhouse gases." Wow. Tell us what you really think. DOING THE NASTY

According to the Miami Herald, “Natural gas, the cleanest and most expensive fossil fuel, costs 9.4 cents a kilowatt-hour, according to the California Energy Commission. That nasty, dirty coal, the biggest producer of greenhouse gases, is also the cheapest. An existing plant can produce electricity for 2.1 cents a kilowatt-hour, FPL regulatory filings say.”

I love it when a newspaper sneaks its editorial bias into its straight reportage: “That nasty, dirty coal, the biggest producer of greenhouse gases.”

Wow. Tell us what you really think.

]]>