Bright Future for Solar Energy?

[Razgovory]

I looked for coal rolling in youtube and found videos of people deliberately spewing black smoke at other people.  This is way beyond making a political protest.  I just don't think this is a good way to garner political support for their cause. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbAhfThNoco

It's like shitting in your own drinking water to protest clean water standards.

[The Larch]

Seems to be a good way to identify mouth breathing morons.

Too many false negatives for this test to be useful.

But the positives are true 100%.

[Malthus]

I looked for coal rolling in youtube and found videos of people deliberately spewing black smoke at other people.  This is way beyond making a political protest.  I just don't think this is a good way to garner political support for their cause. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbAhfThNoco

Deliberately spewing a cloud of dense black smoke on guys riding bikes and motorcyles? Strikes me as some kind of assault.

If they did that to some Hell's Angels type, and a gang of them pulled this guy over, yanked him out of his truck, and smashed his truck to shit, I would ... let them off with a warning. 

[derspiess]

I'm actually quite interested in Spicey's take on this. He does a good job of coming across as a dedicated culture warrior when he choses to, but he is also down with cogent arguments and analysis when the mood strikes him.

[Valmy]

He is a West Virginian.  Only Tyr rivals their passionate devotion to coal.

[Valmy]

I recall from many years back that producing solar panels (the whole production cycle from getting resources to final installation) used to cost more energy than the panel would produce in its life time.

Has this improved by now?

They are much more efficient now than they used to be, and finally crossed the threshold of actually producing more energy than it takes to make them back in...erm...2009 I think.

[jimmy olsen]

Looks like it's becoming popular in India as well

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/07/10/3457917/india-solar-revolution/

[Norgy]

I think even in Northern Europe, solar panels can be a good backup for primary energy bearers.
In sunny parts of the world, solar should be a no-brainer, really.

[MadImmortalMan]

I'd paint my roof with that spray-on solar collection stuff. A no-brainer, really.

I wonder what the fire risk would be.

[dps]

Interesting article on solar power: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/07/solar-has-won-even-if-coal-were-free-to-burn-power-stations-couldnt-compete

It looks like there are places where solar power is becoming economically viable to the point that it's beginning to be disruptive to the established power ecosystem. I found this interesting, as I've been reading about attempts at holding back solar power through the use of regulatory and monopolistic practices (i.e. power companies charging people for installing solar panels on their property etc).

I get the impression that in the US, solar power has become part of the political 'culture war' at least somewhat (what hasn't?), but that it's not necessarily a completely perfect and permanent fit. Yes, solar seems sort of newfangled and hippieish and so on and has often been dismissed as an impractical pipe-dream.

On the other hand, the ability of individuals and individual businesses to have more control over their own energy seems appealing enough to a broad swathe of independent minded don't-tread-on-me types on the right wing as well, and if the economics start being clearly favourable for solar (as the article says is happening) I expect it to be more appealing across the spectrum in the US... or are there other factors that make that unlikely?

Is the "rolling coal" and sentiments widespread enough that it will seriously set back solar power, even if the economic argument is strong? I've seen 'anti-environmentalist' attitudes expressed here on languish on occasion, but I'm unsure to what degree it's just habitual languish posturing and to what degree it represents a real and significant attitude in America.

What's your take on solar power?

I don't see it in political terms per se.  To me it's simply a question of technology and economics.  The technology simply has to advance to a point where solar power can provide for energy needs more cheaply in order to become more widely used.  At this point, there's no guarantee that the needed technological developments will happen.  I don't really have much personal political/cultural investment in it one way or the other.

[Syt]

I recall from many years back that producing solar panels (the whole production cycle from getting resources to final installation) used to cost more energy than the panel would produce in its life time.

Has this improved by now?

They are much more efficient now than they used to be, and finally crossed the threshold of actually producing more energy than it takes to make them back in...erm...2009 I think.

Interesting, thanks!

[viper37]

I don't see it in political terms per se.  To me it's simply a question of technology and economics.  The technology simply has to advance to a point where solar power can provide for energy needs more cheaply in order to become more widely used.  At this point, there's no guarantee that the needed technological developments will happen.  I don't really have much personal political/cultural investment in it one way or the other.

But if other technologies are heavily subsidized and this one isn't, it will take forever to achieve economic viability, though.

[MadImmortalMan]

I do think it's true that in the long run, most power will be generated at the point of use and old-school utilities will mostly go away.

[Monoriu]

I do think it's true that in the long run, most power will be generated at the point of use and old-school utilities will mostly go away.

I just don't see it happening.

[garbon]

Is that an ominous warning that we will all be forced to join the hive?