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There’s a lot of propaganda being pushed by the coal industry trying to keep a dying industry alive. Unfortunately too many people believe “everything” they read or hear and fail to check the source of the information. Propaganda is amazing and can cause more harm than good. To hell with clean energy lets burn more coal for electricity.
Coal is only dying due to government interference solar is inefficient and expensive.
Are there any solar power engineer/scientists here on City-Data? If so, can you tell us if there is a significant wave length difference with the sunlight reflected from solar panels versus that which would be reflected from the ground, dirt, grass, vegetation, and trees?
Does the presence of solar panels significantly change the water cycle such as in evaporation and transpiration?
Finally, just from a Texan's standpoint, what's the change in the water run off during rainfall?
Now, as I take my demonic robes off, the thing is nature is not as simple as we might want to believe. We raked that Congressman over the coals for saying that wind was a resource that could be used up (putting aside here that he might have been misquoted) but on the other hand, consider all the decades we dumped into the oceans because we believed it was infinite.
I grant "you" that solar power probably has wonderful benefits over other sources.....but there are probably disadvantages as well. These town people may indeed have a point even if it is expressed in ways that many see as nonsense.
I am not an electrical engineer nor a physicist. Just a guy that is considering going off grid and been looking at the options for a few years. The biggest problen with solar is the initial cost and the need for storage batteries. My big concern is in regards to the disposal of the batteries when they go dead. Although there are batteries available that should last at least 20 years they will eventually go dead and will present a disposal problem.
The primary advantage I see for solar is that over all it is the most environmentally friendly.
Wrong. The solar farm will surround the SUBSTATION only.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elan
It appears to me it was rejected because the panels aren't lowering their electric bills.
This is an industrial installation that has zero to do with the town other than to be located in the town. It will produce electricity and send it into the grid via the substation. This is how every business works, the town does not participate in profits.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elan
And, there were understandable concerns about property values. Some of the townspeople's objections are extremely laughable, but you are always going to have a few nut cases. Follow the money, it's usually about the money, they weren't seeing a profit.
It seems that the array was outside the town limits, but still subject to local zoning. If somebody continued to farm the land Woodland wouldn't see any profit.
The coal industry also receives subsidies. Big ones.
Mostly from government assistance for low income persons as well as general business deductions. There are no tax subsidies unique to the coal industry. The same cannot be said for solar.
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