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When you throw-in oooooodles of government $cammery, well, it is a great way for Oligarchs to peddle power and hook-up their buddies.
Most people could set-up an adequate home solar-system with a little reading and know how. But no, these solar companies have a ton of incentive to push WAY overpriced systems. The people getting scammed are the same ones who oooooh and ahhhhhhh over the ridiculously expensive
Tesla-trinketmobile.
One application of solar panels that seems logical, but is not being implemented, is use in automobiles. Not just electric cars, but all cars. You have all that space on the roof of the car not being used, unless you have a sunroof. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a solar panel on top, charging your battery on a cold winter day? With all the added electronic features in cars now, the computer module and all that stuff draws increasingly more power when the car is off, more so than cars of the past. We may want to add cameras that transmit wifi signals and other security features that need power when the car is off, a solar panel can help keep the battery fresh and provide longer battery life.
I have multiple vehicles, one for summer and one for winter driving, so for 6 months out of the year one or the other does not get driven much, and I have to round up the power cord and battery charger to keep them charged up. That's kind of a pain, I would really like a solar panel to be a standard feature on cars. Another plus is during day hours you could park somewhere and use electronic devices in the car for several hours without the car running, and not have to worry about the battery going dead.
This would help the solar industry quite a bit I would think, if every new car had a solar panel.
It was inevitable. most citizens are too broke and too stupid to invest in Solar products. I want some Solar stuff right now but I am too broke for it. Everybody should have solar panels on there roofs.
Do you really gain from the subsidy though, friend in El Cajon CA wanted to do solar, was quoted $96K for his system before 30% subsidy, supplier/installer outright told him the same system was $65K in Arizona because of the lower state subsidy. All the CA state subsidy accomplishes is a better profit margin for the supplier.
Do you really gain from the subsidy though, friend in El Cajon CA wanted to do solar, was quoted $96K for his system before 30% subsidy, supplier/installer outright told him the same system was $65K in Arizona because of the lower state subsidy. All the CA state subsidy accomplishes is a better profit margin for the supplier.
The price differential had little to do with inentives. Theres still a big price differential due to the increased cost of running a business in California, more strict building codes, higher permit costs...etc.
The estimated amount gas is enormous, they are giving figures for a century and that is assuming no technological improvements.
The fossil fuel resources in this country are enormous, so enormous that the supply will never run out before some other tech can viably replace them. Greenpeace will have to build a space ship to protest mining on the moon.
As I said, eventually.
As for 2012, the proven natural gas reserves are estimated to last 87 years. This is based on the current level of usage today. Currently Coal produces 39% of the electric used in this county, 27% with natural gas and 19% with nuclear. If carbon restrictions force the shut down of the coal plants (to be replaced with natural gas plants) and Natural gas puts nuclear out of business, you could be looking at considerably less than 87 years.
Nuclear on the other hand at the current rate of usage is estimated to last 230 years. Of course if Coal and gas reserves are exhausted, this figure will fall. On the other hand, extraction of uranium from seawater could extend that figure to 60,000 years (again based on today's current rate of usage). The uranium extraction technology exists today, but it's not very efficient yet.
The problem with the "some other tech can viably replace them" statement is so long as prices are low, there is no interest in developing alternative energy. There was all kinds of alternatives that were started when gas prices spiked in the 1970's, but once fuel prices dropped, all of these research projects died. My fear is viable alternatives will not be developed until it's too late to have a smooth transition from one energy source to another.
Last edited by TechGromit; 09-23-2015 at 10:47 AM..
Do you really gain from the subsidy though, friend in El Cajon CA wanted to do solar, was quoted $96K for his system before 30% subsidy, supplier/installer outright told him the same system was $65K in Arizona because of the lower state subsidy. All the CA state subsidy accomplishes is a better profit margin for the supplier.
Basing your opinion of one hourly employees statement to one of your friends is a little silly. The cost of doing business in Arizona is not nearly the same as in California. Using twice removed hearsay doesn't prove your point that subsidies don't impact prices. You should do some actual research before dreaming up your opinions.
The problem with the "some other tech can viably replace them" statement is so long as prices are low, there is no interest in developing alternative energy.
Part of the issue here is government involvement, does Henry Ford make the Model T if the government is subsidizing his very expensive cars?
Being able to replace fossil fuels is a pretty big plum to pick, we need stop destroying the incentive through subsidies and mandates. Look at ethanol as another example, no alternative product could compete with it because you can't compete with mandate.
There is no question that renewable energy is getting a lot of love from the federal government.
Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson has a surefire way to stop that support dead in its tracks.
βIf I wanted to kill [tax subsidies], the thing to do is for Exxon Mobil to go and invest heavily in them and then Congress would immediately cancel the tax subsidy. Actually what they would do is they would just cancel it for us,β said Mr.Tillerson, during the annual analyst meeting at the New York Stock Exchange.
He added: βIn reality, that is what I fear would happen. So we are not going to go into investments that are dependent on a government providing a tax system to make them viable.β
LOL, drop the incentives. The property value would need to be pro rated. Long term it would drive the value down because now you have pile of crap on your roof.
I've asid it before and I'll say it again. If solar is such a good investment I guess it's time to lift the subsidies, incentives and mandates and let it sink or swim on it's own.
LOL, drop the incentives. The property value would need to be pro rated. Long term it would drive the value down because now you have pile of crap on your roof.
I've asid it before and I'll say it again. If solar is such a good investment I guess it's time to lift the subsidies, incentives and mandates and let it sink or swim on it's own.
Can you not read? I said EXCLUDING subsidies...
Don't you think it's way past time to end incentives on fossil fuels as well....You need a new VALID argument.
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