The development of solar cell technology begins with the 1839 research of French physicist Antoine-César Becquerel. Becquerel observed the photovoltaic effect while experimenting with a solid electrode in an electrolyte solution when he saw a voltage develope when light fell upon the electrode.
Environmentalists are trying to save the planet with Victorian era technology. If photovoltaic technology isn’t sufficiently practical after 172 years of development (who would’t want free electricity) what will change in another 10 or 20 years making solar power practical?
Another example of the latest green energy pipe dream coming out of New York City is a 250 acre photovoltaic ‘farm’ that supporters claim will provide power to 50,000 homes. Only during the day. When the sun is shining.
Via the EPA’s very own Greenservation web site:
Under the city’s proposal, 250 of these acres would be leased to a private operator, who would install and run the plants. Although pricey at first, such an arrangement would be attractive to potential developers, since it would likely take just 10 years to recoup construction costs. If all goes as planned, the project could be enough to power as many as 50,000 homes.
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Finally, solar energy would provide electricity to New Yorkers when we need it most — during the hot, sunny days of summer. Having lived through the 2003 blackout and the July 2006 Queens power outage, a plan to help keep the air conditioners running through the summer is a plan that gets my support.
Always take the claims of power to 50,000 homes with a grain of salt. Supporters of green energy are notorious for over promising and under delivering.
The idea of dedicating 250 acres of land to cover with photovoltaic cells is a waste of real estate (even if it is a covered land fill). For example, Zeeland Michigan has a natural gas ‘peaker’ power plant sitting on only 30 acres and powering a community of over 800,000 people. Day or night. Rain or shine.
What power source would you want to rely on a hot and humid August night to power your AC?
You can’t get a tax credit on a furnace for your home unless it is over 96% efficiency rating…I have seen efficiency ratings for solar panels as low as 10%, but for some reason, they are considered to be so great. And we aren’t even talking about the cost. I would be interested to see what enough solar panels to power 800,000 homes would cost, including the property needed for them. I don’t think it is something we should give up on, but the technology has a long way to go. If we are really only harnessing 10% of the potential power there is a big opportunity there, but right now they aren’t worth the energy you do get out of them. If they gave a return on their investment, we would all have them on our houses.
I did a very rough estimate a while ago for one of those mirror array solar power systems. I estimated it would take a mirror field approaching the size of Troy, Michigan to power a decent size town. The amount of space required for these kind of projects is not practical. Plus, as you pointed out, 10% efficiency (after 172 years of development) is not going to cut it either.
So, looking at it in another way, one could put panels on every roof of every building, and you MIGHT have enough power for 12 hours on a sunny summer day?
You might get 12 hours of electricity at the most. Really, this type of thing makes no sense.
How long will Americans pt p with this nonsense? Gas prices are reflecting the effect of government policies and when electrical tariffs go up, and they will, due to the higher cost of wind generated and solar generate electicity, will the people continue to support these fools in government?
I really think more and more people are starting to catch on to this scam. But, like you said when electricity prices “necessarily skyrocket” people will demand this scam stops.