Another "green" faiure?

[Ernie S.]

Al Gore's Fisker Karma is apparently suffering Al's own Karma.

Our Fisker Karma cost us $107,850. It is super sleek, high-tech—and now it’s broken.

Bad Karma

 

[Dragon]

While you folks are cherry-picking individual companies and projects that have failed -- and of course it will always be possible to find some -- you might want to, or perhaps be forced to, consider this:

U.S. solar industry reports record 2010 growth

"[Solar power's] market share jumped from $3.6 billion in 2009 to $6 billion in 2010, helped by federal tax credits and declining technology costs, according to a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research.

"Enough solar power was installed last year to power about 200,000 homes, the report says, noting that more than 65,000 homes and businesses added solar water or pool heating systems. In particular, the photovoltaics or solar panel part of the market soared most, more than doubling from 2009."

And this:

Solar Energy Market Growth | Solarbuzz

"Solar electric energy demand has grown by an average 30% per annum over the past 20 years against a backdrop of rapidly declining costs and prices. This decline in cost has been driven by economies of manufacturing scale, manufacturing technology improvements, and the increasing efficiency of solar cells.

"In 2009, the photovoltaic solar industry generated $38.5 billion in revenues globally, which includes the sale of solar modules and associated equipment, and the installation of solar systems. Solarbuzz produces various forecast scenarios which, depending on the factors, see growth in the world PV market from $46.3 billion to $96.8 billion in 2014."

In fact, one would logically expect an expanding and, overall, remarkably successful industry -- which solar power obviously is -- to generate more in the way of business failures, simply because it generates more in the way of businesses, and a certain percentage of businesses always fail.

I'm not exactly sure why conservatives have a problem with renewable energy unless it's just that they're told to by the fossil-fuel industry and, being authoritarian believers, obediently think as they're told. But for whatever reason, many of them seem to have a problem with it. But that doesn't change the facts: renewable energy, green energy, is our future. And not a distant future, either. It's rapidly becoming our present.

 

[FireFly]

Consumer Reports' $100K Fisker Karma dies on arrival

A six-figure Fisker Karma electrified sedan broke during Consumer Reports check-in period, before the magazine even could begin testing it.

"Our Fisker Karma cost us $107,850. It is super sleek, high-tech—and now it's broken," the magazine lamented in its blog today in an item headlined "Bad Karma."

We buy about 80 cars a year and this is the first time in memory that we have had a car that is undriveable before it has finished our check-in process.

 

[Old Rocks]

In the meantime, there are about a million Prius running around, doing great. As the battery tech improves, vehicles such as the Prius will become plugins, with less use of gasoline, until a point is reached at which they discard the ICE completely.

 

[whitehall]

Let the "battery tech" improve on it's own dime. When the junk finally works maybe someone will buy it unless democrats are still in the majority and in that case we might all be parked outside a charging station before we can go another thirty five miles.

 

[daveman]

I'm not exactly sure why conservatives have a problem with renewable energy unless it's just that they're told to by the fossil-fuel industry and, being authoritarian believers, obediently think as they're told. But for whatever reason, many of them seem to have a problem with it. But that doesn't change the facts: renewable energy, green energy, is our future. And not a distant future, either. It's rapidly becoming our present.

It's been explained to you repeatedly.

But you've been told that conservatives hate renewable energy, so you obediently think what you're told.

 

[daveman]

In the meantime, there are about a million Prius running around, doing great. As the battery tech improves, vehicles such as the Prius will become plugins, with less use of gasoline, until a point is reached at which they discard the ICE completely.

Probably not.

 

[Dragon]

I'm not exactly sure why conservatives have a problem with renewable energy unless it's just that they're told to by the fossil-fuel industry and, being authoritarian believers, obediently think as they're told. But for whatever reason, many of them seem to have a problem with it. But that doesn't change the facts: renewable energy, green energy, is our future. And not a distant future, either. It's rapidly becoming our present.

It's been explained to you repeatedly.

Good grief. I have a stalker.

And no, it hasn't. At least not in a way that makes sense.

By the way, trains, ships, and big rigs can all run on renewables with a little redesign.

 

[NLT]

Al Gore's Fisker Karma is apparently suffering Al's own Karma.

Our Fisker Karma cost us $107,850. It is super sleek, high-tech—and now it’s broken.

Bad Karma

The only things the Finns build worth a shit is nokkia phones and no one buys them any more.

 

[Big Fitz]

Let the "battery tech" improve on it's own dime. When the junk finally works maybe someone will buy it unless democrats are still in the majority and in that case we might all be parked outside a charging station before we can go another thirty five miles.

I can't wait for "Programmable Matter" based on Quantum Well technology currently being experimented with. If this becomes what nanotechnologists believe, we'll be having a revolution in power storage. Unfortunately, I do believe it'll be lucky to happen in my lifetime. C60 "Buckministerfullerine" molecules are hard to make, let alone silicon wafer quantum wells. The energy storage density would be incredible if Wil McCarthy's predictions in "Hacking Matter" are true.

 

[Ernie S.]

Al Gore's Fisker Karma is apparently suffering Al's own Karma.

Our Fisker Karma cost us $107,850. It is super sleek, high-tech—and now it’s broken.

Bad Karma

The only things the Finns build worth a shit is nokkia phones and no one buys them any more.

A rather "Inconvenient Truth" isn't it?

 

[Big Fitz]

In the meantime, there are about a million Prius running around, doing great. As the battery tech improves, vehicles such as the Prius will become plugins, with less use of gasoline, until a point is reached at which they discard the ICE completely.

Probably not.

Hey Dave, one small funny catch. That Union Pacific DD40A has not been manufactured since the mid to late 80's AND it's an Electro Motive engine which is a first generation Hybrid engine already sans battery. Diesel runs the generator that pushes the electric motors in the "Do-Do" trucks because it works better at low speeds and has more powerful, smoother torque.

That's a beautiful baby, though. The UP always has classy looking motive power.

Oh, and Oshkosh Truck is developing a revolutionary hybrid semi... but it's a ways off. I like their unofficial motto though. "When everyone else fails, then we'll design it right for you." It's why they get so many contracts for extreme spec vehicles. The HeMMeT is a great example.