Solar Guy

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8 Comments

    • ON: Tue Jun 17th 13:25 PM
      Commented on:
      Intel Creating a New Solar Play
      Good to see computing techology titans like Intel (also IBM) entering the solar sector. Should bring a lot of solar cell advancements and innovation to that space to accelerate development and drive costs down. Will create some good investing opportunities also. A natural extension of their business IMHO.
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    • ON: Fri May 30th 11:15 AM
      Commented on:
      Walter Nasdeo Discusses Solar Energy
      Nice overview, but no article on grid parity economics is complete without including a discussion on subsidized costs of conventional energy sources (coal, natural gas, nuclear) and the unsubsidized costs of solar. See Jack Yetiv SA article on this subject at seekingalpha.com/artic.... I believe (as Jack clearly points out) that an apples-to-apples comparison of all the "true" and hidden costs of fossil-fuel based electricity generation that taxpayers subsidize (e.g. 20-year life cycle costs and environmental impacts being quantified, health risks, loss of US capital overseas for imported oil, annual defense expenditures to protect strategic interests in Middle East region) versus unsubsidized solar would drastically change the narrative of this energy debate. The truth is we're already at grid parity. That data is obscured by lobbyists in the oil and natural gas industry -- because if revealed to consumers it could cause a major revolt on the utility prices and an explosion in renewables that would truly accelerate adoption of them.

      Nuclear and fossil fuels received over 6X the combined tax subsidies in 2007 for electricity-related R&D funding ($9.3B versus $1.4B for renewables.

      The popular argument forwarded by the oil and gas industry that renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are not cost-competitive with conventional sources ignores the fact that the latter are subsidized at a far greater rate, and renewable energy is not currently mass produced so it cannot take advantage of the economies of scale (yet).

      Other than Jack Yetiv, no author has really tackled this subject in depth. Would be a great business case study for Harvard.

      View article »
    • ON: Mon Apr 28th 09:19 AM
      Commented on:
      Is the Sun Shining on Solar?
      If you examine the true, unsubsidized costs of solar versus the traditional sources of energy we're already at grid parity. See Jack Yetiv's article on this subject at
      seekingalpha.com/artic....

      View article »
    • ON: Sun Apr 27th 19:01 PM
      Commented on:
      When Will Solar Achieve Grid Parity? We're Already There!
      Good supporting economic analysis and puts it in context. Thanks Jack!
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    • ON: Sat Apr 26th 10:25 AM
      Commented on:
      When Will Solar Achieve Grid Parity? We're Already There!
      Jack, thank you for the time you've invested in responding to all the people in this article. Very educational for us all as this is what I consider the most important issue of our time (followed closely by availability of clean water), and as a society we have to make the right decisions for the future of our children and the planet. You've done us all a great service as this is a hot button, emotional issue with a lot of different opinions. I will be using a lot of this content for economics of solar in my presentation to a local utility company soon. They are in a quandary about which direction to go with a new power plant to meet growing power needs, and afraid Governor Crist will veto both coal and nuclear options. The SCE decision to go solar makes a compelling business case and is clearly a testimonial on the future energy generation choice for our country.

      Keep up the good fight, and May God Bless You!
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    • ON: Tue Apr 22nd 10:00 AM
      Commented on:
      Solar Power Will Be Transformational in the Next Decade
      Another great article Jack. Keep 'em coming. Your facts match up very well with the guru, Travis Bradford, in his book "Solar Revolution". As a fellow Baby Boomer, I'm on a crusade to do exactly what you suggest and leave this a better planet for our kids and grandkids. Did you catch the announcement from the King of Saudi Arabia about capping oil production at current levels to save what's left in the ground for their future generations? Wow -- what a profound statement and worldwide impact as other oil-exporting countries will probably follow suit. They probably have, or will soon, reached peak oil but won't disclose it because it would weaken their geopolitical power. They (and the oil companies) will continue to maximize profits as demand exceeds supply and reduce the depletion rate without any further investment in new fields. See article at www.evworld.com/articl.... (It's also why I'm looking for investors for my solar power plant startup here in Florida). I'm the former CEO of a dot-com company for 10 years, and believe this sector is bigger than the Internet for the next 20 years. We can't get the solar industry going fast enough in my opinion.

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    • ON: Mon Apr 21st 10:12 AM
      Commented on:
      When Will Solar Achieve Grid Parity? We're Already There!
      Right on Mr. Yetiv! After much due diligence on this subject, I came to the same conclusion. In fact, I am making a presentation to a local government agency tomorrow on a large solar initiative. I am in stealth mode on a start up company to build a solar power plant. Thanks for the endorsement!
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    • ON: Sat Apr 19th 08:58 AM
      Commented on:
      Energy Affecting Food Prices
      President Bush sure got some lousy counsel from his staff on the whole mandated use of ethanol and subsidy issue. What a debacle that is turning out to be as it drives up food prices and is not the renewable energy solution he was told it is. Now who in his administration has the courage to tell him it was a huge mistake?
      View article »
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