Not that I'm completely against nuclear energy, but here are a few facts that they also don't advertise. They mine tons of dirt just to get very tiny amounts of uranium. Those mines discharge very concentrated tailings (the waste water from mining that contains cadmium, mercury, etc.) They spend tons of energy enriching that to plutonium. The plants only get 30% return energy on the final plutonium they receive. They require vast amounts of transmission land to distribute their power. That transmission costs another 5-7% loss in energy. They concentrate so much generation in a single area that any failure anywhere in the chain can cause enormous and long term outages. A simple "scare" of an accident can cost millions in local, state, federal, regulatory preparedness expenses. They still do not have a permanent storage facility and will not start building one until billions are spent doing more research and political wrangling.Oh, and then there's the issue that buying electricity from them will forever increase in price due to inflation and taxes. That's not the case with a piece of equipment you purchase in a new home with your mortgage.
Yea so maybe I over did it with the 1 year thing, but you get the idea. Just expand it to two, three, or four years. Basically they need to make economic sense and it would help if I didn't have to make payments on a loan to buy them.
I do agree that it is difficult to go solar without subsidies. The day of solar will eventually get here though. There have been steady advances made both in efficiency and longevity. It will take a little more time until all of the silicone that china is producing for solar to make its way to the market. Once it does then they expect a 40% drop in the price of panels. One reason that there isn't a big group of companies pouring money into it is that there is no money, or very little money to be made after the product is sold and installed.
Solar has many many engineering problems at this stage in game.Until a method of very cheap storage is invented it will always be a huge pain to plan with on a large scale.It is not the panacea it is often portrayed as.Fusion in my mind is the future to cheap reliable and GREEN power......
You can a FREE solar power system in the US through Free Solar Gear which is a very interesting program:Citizenr? REnU program packages solar power for you in a simple and smart way. Plainly put, the Citizenr? Corporation pays for, installs, owns and operates the solar installation. You don?t have to worry about maintaining the equipment or any of the other concerns that come with making an investment into solar power. All you are required to do is pay for the electricity generated from these panels, at a fixed rate that is at or below your current electricity price, for up to twenty-five years. Free Info at: <a class="user" href="http://www.FreeSolarGear.com">http://www.FreeSolarGear.com</a>
tamckissickJul 17, 2007
Not that I'm completely against nuclear energy, but here are a few facts that they also don't advertise. They mine tons of dirt just to get very tiny amounts of uranium. Those mines discharge very concentrated tailings (the waste water from mining that contains cadmium, mercury, etc.) They spend tons of energy enriching that to plutonium. The plants only get 30% return energy on the final plutonium they receive. They require vast amounts of transmission land to distribute their power. That transmission costs another 5-7% loss in energy. They concentrate so much generation in a single area that any failure anywhere in the chain can cause enormous and long term outages. A simple "scare" of an accident can cost millions in local, state, federal, regulatory preparedness expenses. They still do not have a permanent storage facility and will not start building one until billions are spent doing more research and political wrangling.Oh, and then there's the issue that buying electricity from them will forever increase in price due to inflation and taxes. That's not the case with a piece of equipment you purchase in a new home with your mortgage.
smurph0404Jul 17, 2007
Yea so maybe I over did it with the 1 year thing, but you get the idea. Just expand it to two, three, or four years. Basically they need to make economic sense and it would help if I didn't have to make payments on a loan to buy them.
immrlizardJul 17, 2007
I do agree that it is difficult to go solar without subsidies. The day of solar will eventually get here though. There have been steady advances made both in efficiency and longevity. It will take a little more time until all of the silicone that china is producing for solar to make its way to the market. Once it does then they expect a 40% drop in the price of panels. One reason that there isn't a big group of companies pouring money into it is that there is no money, or very little money to be made after the product is sold and installed.
Closed AccountJul 18, 2007
Solar has many many engineering problems at this stage in game.Until a method of very cheap storage is invented it will always be a huge pain to plan with on a large scale.It is not the panacea it is often portrayed as.Fusion in my mind is the future to cheap reliable and GREEN power......
ottoJul 18, 2007
My electric bill runs about $60 in the summer. Less in the winter. The fun of living in condos or apartments.
dancurranjrSep 16, 2007
You can a FREE solar power system in the US through Free Solar Gear which is a very interesting program:Citizenr? REnU program packages solar power for you in a simple and smart way. Plainly put, the Citizenr? Corporation pays for, installs, owns and operates the solar installation. You don?t have to worry about maintaining the equipment or any of the other concerns that come with making an investment into solar power. All you are required to do is pay for the electricity generated from these panels, at a fixed rate that is at or below your current electricity price, for up to twenty-five years. Free Info at: <a class="user" href="http://www.FreeSolarGear.com">http://www.FreeSolarGear.com</a>