jbde

Will Pickens' Scrapped Project Slow Wind Energy Momentum?

you said .....
I guess they didn't get the memo about how supporting the integration of renewable energy is probably one of the most patriotic things you can do.

What a stupid thing to say - it's all about economics. The private sector will not invest unless there is a return. The government does need to encourage infrastructure by facilitiating power lines to the wind and sun belts. Subsidies and low interest loans will be required for a powerline operator to make such an investment.

Realitiy is that projects will develop closer to usage - solar and and wind, where the addative load on exisitng transmission lines is minimal.

Solar is still better as it can be 'hidden' on roof tops and the basic material [sand] gets cheaper to process into wafers. Thin film cannot compete with the potential decline in poly-si costs - with all in the foodchain being profitable. It will take years to build the capacity to make a dent in electric demand, but it's on the way.