Alright maybe some hope

[catatomic]

Solar power is the cheapest form of energy on the planet and many governments and people are signing up. Yes the battery is inconvenient for some people. Maybe, despite the fact that most people don't care and will buy new deregulated products, greed will also get enough people into solar!

 

[Marion Morrison]

Yeah, until it's cheaper that everything else=fail.

I did extensive research on it in 1982.

 

[catatomic]

Wait a minute, are you saying its not the cheapest in 2017?

 

[task0778]

Greed usually works pretty good, but solar power is not the cheapest form of energy on the planet. I would say that wood is. In fact, I'd say solar is a ways down the list, when you include installation.

 

[catatomic]

Yeah I know.. I just googled it. Oh my fuck!

Greed caused the Great Depression and the 2008 Great Recession.

 

[SassyIrishLass]

Yeah I know.. I just googled it. Oh my fuck!

Greed caused the Great Depression and the 2008 Great Recession.

The driving force of the 2008 recession was mortgage defaults. It made it difficult for banks to borrow and loan money and it was a downward spiral from there. Panic resulted

 

[ABikerSailor]

Yeah, until it's cheaper that everything else=fail.

I did extensive research on it in 1982.

You might want to do research on what it is like now, because technology has come a LONG way since 1982. Matter of fact, some of the biggest gains in solar and battery technology has come about over the past 10 years or so.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Yeah, until it's cheaper that everything else=fail.

I did extensive research on it in 1982.

1982.

Kidding, right?

There are now more jobs in clean energy than in oil/coal.

Coal is dead, drupf lied that he's bringing back coal jobs. Liberals are teaching coal miners new skills in computers and clean energy.

1982. Jeeez. No wonder.

 

[SassyIrishLass]

The price of residential solar power. On average the total cost of solar installation can be between $15,000 to $29,000 for average sized systems sized between 4kW and 8kW

You better save a bundle on energy costs to recoup that kind of investment

 

[Old Rocks]

Yeah, until it's cheaper that everything else=fail.

I did extensive research on it in 1982.

1982, eh. On the net, I presume, or did you use your smart phone? See, there has been a few changes in technology since then. And, presently, wind and solar are the cheapest power available at this time.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Greed usually works pretty good, but solar power is not the cheapest form of energy on the planet. I would say that wood is. In fact, I'd say solar is a ways down the list, when you include installation.

Haiti and Easter Island said the same thing.

Old Rocks is correct.

BTW, did anyone catch the footage of the dumb Repub in congress who said he wants to tax the sun? It was just last week I think.

 

[Old Rocks]

The price of residential solar power. On average the total cost of solar installation can be between $15,000 to $29,000 for average sized systems sized between 4kW and 8kW

You better save a bundle on energy costs to recoup that kind of investment

Well, if you do your own installation, it is much cheaper than that. And the Tesla Powerwall is $5500 at present for 14 kw/hr storage.

You can find 5 kw systems here, complete, for 8K to 10K. That would take care of most homes.

 

[Old Rocks]

Greed usually works pretty good, but solar power is not the cheapest form of energy on the planet. I would say that wood is. In fact, I'd say solar is a ways down the list, when you include installation.

And you would be wrong. The utilities are going into solar in a big way, as it has come way down in price. And there is this;

Lowell Mountain Wind Project, Vermont
First 100% Renewable U.S. Municipality: Greensburg, Kansas
When a tornado flattened much of the small Kansas town in 2007, Greensburg seized the opportunity to transform the disaster into opportunity. The city adopted the motto of “Rebuilding…Stronger, Better, Greener” and developed a Sustainable Comprehensive Master Plan for the 800-resident town.

See Also: Can the World be 100% Renewable by 2050? GreenPeace Thinks So

The 12.5 megawatt Greensburg Wind Farm generates enough electricity to power all homes and businesses in the town, with extra to sell as renewable energy credits (RECs). In addition to the wind power, some hydropower, ground source heat pumps and small PV systems power the town.

Third City in U.S. to Achieve the 100% Goal: Aspen, Colorado
Recognizing its heightened sensitivity to climate change, the mountain city of Aspen, Colorado, committed to powering the town entirely with renewable sources of energy and reached that goal September 10 when it executed a contract with Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, a wholesale electric energy provider. Additionally, Aspen uses wind energy from four wind farms in Nebraska and South Dakota, as well as hydropower from Ruedi Reservoir, Maroon Creek, and Ridgway Reservoir.

Largest U.S. Municipality to Commit: San Diego, California
In December 2015, a unanimous city council vote enacted an ordinance legally binding San Diego, California, the country’s eighth-largest city, to transition to 100 percent sustainable energy. Details of the transition, which will take place over 20 years, are still being developed but likely will involve primarily solar power.

Soon to Join the Ranks: Georgetown, Texas
The Texas city of about 50,000 already has reached 90 percent clean energy and is on track to achieve 100 percent by next year, thanks to a 25-year contract with SunEdison to buy 150 megawatts of solar energy supplied from a soon-to-be-built solar farm in West Texas and a contract with EFD Renewables for 144 megawatts of wind power.

Other cities, including San Francisco, Ithaca, and San Jose, have committed to clean energy. Where does your community stand in making the transition?

How Many U.S. Cities Have Gone 100% Renewable?

 

[task0778]

Old Rocks, maybe I missed it, but where in any of your post did you show that solar power is now the cheapest form of energy on the planet?

 

[Old Rocks]

The Town in Texas—Oil-Pumpin’, Climate-Change-Denyin’ Texas—That Just Quit Fossil Fuels

Georgetown Utility Systems doesn’t own power plants; it agrees to buy the output of power plants for fixed prices over long periods of time. But contrary to renewable energy’s reputation as a luxury good, the new deals come at a discount to what Georgetown was paying for fossil fuel electricity. “The new renewable power contracts signed by Georgetown provide electricity at a lower overall cost than its previous wholesale power contracts,” the city notes. That’s a sign that as the wind and solar industries gain scale, one of the biggest arguments against renewables—their higher comparative cost—is evaporating. As the New York Times reported last fall, other utilities in Texas and Oklahoma have reduced costs by signing deals for renewable energy.

press release. “[W]e did so because it will save on electricity costs and decrease our water usage.”

This is one of the first times I’ve seen water cited as a reason to purchase green energy. But it makes sense. Much of the country—the Southwest, the Great Plains, California—has been suffering from drought for years. Throughout the West, less snow in the winter translates to less water in the spring. Aquifers are being tapped for farming, drinking water, and industrial uses like hydraulic fracturing. Reservoirs are receding. Texas is suffering, too. This map shows that 56 percent of the state is abnormally dry, and about 15 percent of the Lone Star State is experiencing extreme or exceptional drought, including the area around Georgetown.

Cheaper, more dependable, and uses less water.

 

[Old Rocks]

Old Rocks, maybe I missed it, but where in any of your post did you show that solar power is now the cheapest form of energy on the planet?

This Just Became the World's Cheapest Form of Electricity Out of Nowhere

This Just Became the World’s Cheapest Form of Electricity Out of Nowhere
Joseph Hincks
Dec 15, 2016
data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) suggests.

According to Bloomberg's analysis, the cost of solar power in China, India, Brazil and 55 other emerging market economies has dropped to about one third of its price in 2010. This means solar now pips wind as the cheapest form of renewable energy—but is also outperforming coal and gas.

In a note to clients this week, BNEF chairman Michael Liebreich said that solar power had entered “the era of undercutting” fossil fuels.

Bloomberg reports that 2016 has seen remarkable falls in the price of electricity from solar sources, citing a $64 per megawatt-hour contract in India at the tart of the year, and a $29.10 per megawatt-hour deal struck in Chile in August—about 50% the price of electricity produced from coal.

Ethan Zindler, head of U.S. policy analysis at BNEF, attributed much of the downward pressure to China's massive deployment of solar, and the assistance it had provided to other countries financing their own solar projects.

Now the cost of solar, utility scale, is still decreasing, and has came down further since this was written. And solar can be deployed on roofs, or really, any other surface.

 

[task0778]

" That’s a sign that as the wind and solar industries gain scale, one of the biggest arguments against renewables—their higher comparative cost—is evaporating. "

Tells me that wind and solar still have higher comparative costs, i.e., isn't the cheapest source of energy yet. I don't doubt that it's cheaper than it used to be, but it isn't there yet. Don't get me wrong, I'll be glad when the total cost of renewables drops below that of fossil fuels but we ain't there yet.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Solar power is the cheapest form of energy on the planet and many governments and people are signing up. Yes the battery is inconvenient for some people. Maybe, despite the fact that most people don't care and will buy new deregulated products, greed will also get enough people into solar!

/---- Nothing cheap about solar without Gubmint subsidies.

 

[Cellblock2429]

The price of residential solar power. On average the total cost of solar installation can be between $15,000 to $29,000 for average sized systems sized between 4kW and 8kW

You better save a bundle on energy costs to recoup that kind of investment

/---- with the life expectancy you never recoup your money. Be what if your roof leaks 5 years after installation? It's got to be removed and replaced

 

[Marion Morrison]

Yeah, until it's cheaper that everything else=fail.

I did extensive research on it in 1982.

You might want to do research on what it is like now, because technology has come a LONG way since 1982. Matter of fact, some of the biggest gains in solar and battery technology has come about over the past 10 years or so.

So post examples and maybe we'll get somewhere.