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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bearcatbob who wrote (252670)	12/30/2007 5:56:42 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Respond to of 281500

One additional point - if the intial purchase of the solar panels is heavily subsidized then obviously the lower capital investments will skew the ROI calculations. The only commercial building I know if in Vermont that is successfully selling power back to the grid is sitting on a private dam and generating its own hydropower.

To: Bearcatbob who wrote (252670)	12/30/2007 6:26:01 PM
From: bentway	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Bob, what you fail to account for in the burning stuff model of power production are the environmental costs of the process, which are never accounted for. We all bear those costs, and they represent a tremendous subsidy for conventional power production. Just consider the health effects ALONE, never paid for by the dirty power producers.

To: Bearcatbob who wrote (252670)	12/30/2007 6:27:51 PM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

You make some very good points about the time value of money. Fortunately, interest rates have been relatively low this past decade, so I would assume that the future value numbers in the feasibility studies were relatively low, too. As far as subsidies go in this country, I have mixed feelings. We honestly can't afford to do much right now. The war is expensive and I think whichever party is elected, the President will try to stay and salvage something out of what was started. The smartest thing may be to just do nothing. Unfunded retirement liabilities are the biggest problem facing the country and there are no really good options available. Dems will combat the problem by raising taxes, and the amounts they would need to raise would most likely hurt the economy. Reps will combat the problem by reducing benefits, and the amounts they would need to cut would also hurt the economy as seniors make fewer consumer purchases in an attempt to cover more of their own retirement expenses.