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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Cogito who wrote (61935)	4/26/2008 7:10:31 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541777

If there's a choice between building a coal plant and building a solar thermal plant, I'd say go for the latter. An "all things being equal" choice, I assume? Same cost, same capacity?

To: Cogito who wrote (61935)	4/26/2008 7:27:32 PM
From: quehubo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541777

The priority comes to making sure that the economy does not crash because of poor electric service and high rates. eia.doe.gov Renewables are only about 2.5% of installed Summer capacity. Wind and solar are part of this sector. The installed capacity in the USA has grown on average about 3% a year for the last 6 years. While the enviro nazi's stymie reliable energy production within the USA our system relies more and more on expensive natural gas for generation. There will be hell to pay this Summer if it is not a cold one. When electric consumers cant pay their electric bills because of natural gas generation they may actually ask why are we not building coal plants, you know the ones that kept electric prices affordable.

To: Cogito who wrote (61935)	4/26/2008 7:36:36 PM
From: Bearcatbob	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541777

In 2008 the answer is to build both. In 2015 or 2020 the answer might be different.

To: Cogito who wrote (61935)	4/26/2008 8:28:44 PM
From: Mary Cluney	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541777

<<<If there's a choice between building a coal plant and building a solar thermal plant,>>> Allen, How competitive is solar versus coal or oil? I know that solar is only about a several billion dollar industry right now and that oil is in the trillions. But how close is solar to being competitive with oil on a cost basis for say heating homes? Or another way ofasking the same question is how much does oil have to be (now at $120) before solar can be competitive? If it becomes competitive than we can go whole hog and the landscape changes completely.