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Politics : Politics of Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas A Watson who wrote (39935)	5/22/2013 8:38:21 PM
From: FJB	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86356

What if you live at a northerly latitude where there is barely any sun for half the year? It almost doesn't matter what the up front cost is. GERMANY Weathers Darkest Winter in 43 Years Posted on February 27, 2013 by Anthony Watts gloomy winter day (Photo credit: gabork) “Overly Overcast: GERMANY* Weathers Darkest Winter in 43 Years”* It seems that there’s a lot of gloom in GERMANY this Winter, more so than usual. This article in Spiegel explains why: “The DAYS may be getting longer, but there’s still not a hint of springtime sunshine in GERMANY. Weather data shows that this winter has been the gloomiest in 43 years. If the sun doesn’t start shining soon, it will be the darkest winter on record. Winter in GERMANY is typically a grim affair, dark and steeped in the kind of chilly damp that goes straight to the bones — and, unhappily, to the psyche. But many residents feel that this winter has been particularly hard to bear. Meteorologists say that’s because it has been the darkest winter in more than four decades. Less than an average of 100 hours of sunshine have been recorded so far over the course of the meteorological winter, which runs from December through February, said National Meteorological Service (DWD) spokesman Gerhard Lux on Monday. The winter average is an already measly 160 hours of sun.” From – http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-weathers-darkest-winter-in-43-years-a-885608.html

To: Thomas A Watson who wrote (39935)	5/22/2013 9:03:31 PM
From: Eric	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 86356

I have been designing and installing PV powered off grid systems for over twenty years. My 2700 sq ft home on an island not served by the grid runs much more reliably than any grid powered home! The old Onan propane backup generator got retired years ago. I don't need it anymore! Not to mention the quality of the AC waveform of modern sine wave inverters is much, much cleaner and lower in harmonic distortion and transients than any public grid. Stay away from renewables. You have a hard time understanding this stuff. There are a lot of folks that I work with that would be happy to tell you how well they work. I suggest you get a subscription to Home Power magazine. It will get you up to speed on the fast growing industry, grid tied and off grid: homepower.com There are many thousands of homes off grid, powered exclusively by PV's in the U.S. alone. I penciled out a grid tied PV system here in Seattle and it would pay for itself in about 10 years. And that's with no tax credits!