Utilities Take a Dim View of Solar Energy

[The Brain]

Sure, be tied to your precious sun. When your sunny buddy quits on you the atom will still be here. Warming you and powering your appliances.

I am a big fan of the nuclear power.  If France can do it anybody should be able to.

It is a government project only recently forced very slightly open by EU rules. Does America want Huge Government?

[Valmy]

It is a government project only recently forced very slightly open by EU rules. Does America want Huge Government?

We have it so clearly we do.

[KRonn]

Sure, be tied to your precious sun. When your sunny buddy quits on you the atom will still be here. Warming you and powering your appliances.

I'm all for nuclear power. But politically it's a very hard sell, for what ever reasons. Funny that many of the "greens" type people are adamantly opposed to nuclear power, including allowing the waste to be stored anywhere, while other nations can do it quite well.

[Iormlund]

The point is that subsidized competition is neither fair nor constructive.

I agree.  In fact I think that without the subsized nature of oil and coal we would have naturally moved to alternative sources long ago.  Pity we do not live in that world though.

Not really. Wind is still more expensive than fossil, and has technical problems that are far from being solved (although they can be minimized by throwing absurd amounts of money at it).
Solar on the other hand is simply ridiculously expensive.
Biofuel is stupid.
Hydro is only viable as a main source on places with low population and rugged terrain (Iceland, Norway ...).
Geothermal requires certain geologic conditions.


The only promising alternative source is Hot Dry Rock, and it is far from being viable. It might trigger seismic tremors as well.

[Valmy]

Not really. Wind is still more expensive than fossil, and has technical problems that are far from being solved (although they can be minimized by throwing absurd amounts of money at it).
Solar on the other hand is simply ridiculously expensive.

Gosh really?  I had no idea.  I thought the technology was perfect and we were in the process of shifting to full solar and wind as we type.

By the way I do not find 10 cents per KW/H (and constantly coming down as mass production lowers costs) ridiculously expensive...but YMMV

[Barrister]

Hydro is only viable as a main source on places with low population and rugged terrain (Iceland, Norway ...).

[Grey Fox]

Hydro is viable anywhere look at China.

[DGuller]

Not really. Wind is still more expensive than fossil, and has technical problems that are far from being solved (although they can be minimized by throwing absurd amounts of money at it).
Solar on the other hand is simply ridiculously expensive.

Gosh really?  I had no idea.  I thought the technology was perfect and we were in the process of shifting to full solar and wind as we type.

It's not.

[Valmy]

It's not.

[Iormlund]

The 'alternatives will get better eventually' thing is a fine argument for research incentives.
It won't help executives put solar inefficient panels instead of a coal-powered turbine. Huge subsidies are needed for that.

[DGuller]

It's not.

Are you saying that the technology is indeed perfect?

[Valmy]

The 'alternatives will get better eventually' thing is a fine argument for research incentives.
It won't help executives put solar inefficient panels instead of a coal-powered turbine. Huge subsidies are needed for that.

So why then do the governments of the world spend billions every year proping up the fucking fossil fuels?  If they didn't then maybe the cost difference would not be so dramatic.

[Valmy]

Are you saying that the technology is indeed perfect?

I was being very very sarcastic.

[derspiess]

Are you saying that the technology is indeed perfect?

No, but he does think we should subsidize the shit out of unproven solar & wind power technology, while taxing the shit out of fossil fuels.  All of which would do wonders for the economy

Personally, I think these alternative energy technologies will be ready for prime-time when the market says they're ready. 

[Valmy]

No, but he does think we should subsidize the shit out of unproven solar & wind power technology, while taxing the shit out of fossil fuels.  All of which would do wonders for the economy

Personally, I think these alternative energy technologies will be ready for prime-time when the market says they're ready. 

WTF?  I actualy said just the opposite.

Um...I said we need to stop proping up the Fossil fuels and having them manage our energy policy for us.  If we weren't fighting massive wars and running our foreign policy to secure FF supplies and so forth then maybe natural supply and demand would do the rest.