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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (605117)	3/25/2011 1:00:27 AM
From: i-node	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1576022

The relatively high solar energy costs in comparison to conventional fuels should improve with utility rebates and government tax incentives. That's not really the cost improving, that's someone else paying part of the cost. From the perspective of "should I buy this" there may be little or no difference, but if its going to be broadly deployed the total cost doesn't go down because of subsidies or tax incentives. A great point, Tim. Since the earliest days of solar, the taxpayers have been subsidizing it. More than 30 years, I believe (seems to me the Residential Energy Credit came into existence during the Carter years). And here we are, solar is STILL unable to survive without the credits. And pretty much all the other "alternative" energies as well.

To: TimF who wrote (605117)	3/25/2011 8:32:33 AM
From: Alighieri	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1576022

So a $45,000 5KW solar energy system produces about 119,246 KWH of electric over its lifespan meaning the average cost equals $0.38 per KWH. As I pointed out in my post, that is old data (2007) ...that same solar system cost less than 1/2...read the post carefully and go back to it's history. That's not really the cost improving, that's someone else paying part of the cost. From the perspective of "should I buy this" there may be little or no difference, but if its going to be broadly deployed the total cost doesn't go down because of subsidies or tax incentives. There's little doubt that the cost is improving...FAST...that is of course unless you want to ignore facts and play word games...BTW, the cost of nuclear is not the odd 10c/W you pay today...someone/something else is paying to subsidize that as well...yet we have nuclear plants. Al