Canbyte

When Will Solar Be Cost-Competitive with Electricity?

Having built and operated a few solar panels myself, my take is that what you read is hyped up subsidized BS with payback way too long. Once oil recedes a bit, solar will probably die (again) except for the few who understand the real economics and know how to make it work. Congrats to all who rode the wave and made $$ on the stocks. Exit happy. Leave real solar for the masses to harness in their humble ways.

Solar Breaks Oil Price Dependence

Dr Duru's strategy of hedging the solar bet recognizes the idiocy of buying something with a 15 yr payback +/-. Only stupid subsidies make it work. Yes, solar can work on a limited basis (what people afford now like garden lights) and that basis is growing slowly. Unfortunately most people are selfish, herdlike animals -- my own solar collectors have a payback of LESS THAN ONE YEAR but nobody is interested. Truly sustainable solar will be the poor man's solution, not for rich men like Al Gore who will continue to use all the oil they want while enslaving the rest of us with taxes to fund their solar show, oil wars, nuclear power plants that operate at 30% efficiency, and yes, dribs and drabs for Kyoto scams till folks catch on (herdlike). Then the peons will just turn the thermostat way down, most lights off and walk (or ride a horse) to their suburban ghetto home (End of Suburbia).

Solars Should Bounce Today

Like petyaczar says, GW is not man-made, only it seems that solar warming is speeding up, perhaps because of a tipping point. Only hubristic humans think we can stop it, better to make London=Venice. My worry is that our blindness about this will damage our economies so badly that any Sensible response will not be possible or undertaken in time (what do you do with Florida or Bangladesh, both very low areas, not to mention Holland, already underwater.

Solar geeks may be making money on stocks but its at taxpayers expense, essentially your poorer neighbour. Nakedjaybird i'm sure has wants me to pay for his collector but having built a few economical designs, I would prefer to keep his hands out of my pockets.