Re: Profitable Solar Power - A suggestion

The Watcher wrote: 
On 26 Aug 2005 18:06:14 GMT, Dave Hinz <DaveHinz@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


On 26 Aug 2005 10:59:04 -0700, Andy <andysharpe@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

Andy writes:

 As long as more energy is required to MAKE a solar cell than the
solar cell can generate in it's lifetime,  solar cells will  never be
more
than a plaything  for environmentalists.


If that was true, then the dollars wouldn't work out.  Are you saying
that, in the lifetime of a solar cell, you'll never save as much money
as you paid for it?  Dollars have a marvellous way of cutting through
all the variables.  Are you saying there's _no_ payback period for a
solar panel, ever?



Nope. Just that they haven't been able to produce a solar panel yet that has
produced more energy than it took to make it. The person buying it may get more
energy from it than HE had before, but it's still a net loss for the society.
Until we find a way to break that barrier(and maybe the laws of physics are
what's stopping us ;) ) it might be hard claiming the future will benefit from
photovoltaics.


I imagine that, like the amount of energy needed to produce ethanol from corn,
you can calculate the energy cost to produce a solar panel a number of different
ways.  Can you give us a clue as to what you are using to calculate the amount
of energy needed to produce something like a 50 watt panel?


   The most useful idea is to reduce our demand.   Otherwise, it is
all smoke and mirrors.


Of course.  But discounting a workable solution by saying it has no
potential to pay back, is in this case not something I've seen evidence
of.



It's kind of hard to claim PV is doing any "paying back" when it's actually
draining energy resources from the planet. It's also hard to call that a
"workable solution".



--
"The career politicians are keeping the elevator at the penthouse
floor and not sending it down for the rest of us." - Kinky Friedman
.

Relevant Pages

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  • Re: Profitable Solar Power - A suggestion
    ... >> solar cell can generate in it's lifetime, ... >that, in the lifetime of a solar cell, you'll never save as much money ... Are you saying there's _no_ payback period for a ... produced more energy than it took to make it. ...
    (misc.rural)
  • Re: Profitable Solar Power - A suggestion
    ... As long as more energy is required to MAKE a solar cell than the ... that, in the lifetime of a solar cell, you'll never save as much money ... Just that they haven't been able to produce a solar panel yet ...
    (misc.rural)