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I've used photovoltaics for more than two decades (I have a kilowatt of solar panels). I also have a simple solar hot water system, a small greenhouse for plant starts in the winter and spring, and a clothesline (a great use of solar energy).

The claim that solar can substitute for the burning of coal and natural gas for electricity is appealing but wrong. The reason we all use fossil fuels is they are much more energy dense than living on our current solar budget. As we pass the peak of extraction - Peak Everything - we will use lower and lower rates of coal, oil, and natural gas because we cannot burn fuel that does not exist. This is at the root of the unfolding economic crisis - corruption of the Demicans and Republicrats is only part of the problem, not the root cause. We've passed the limits to growth on a finite planet, not that most people care about such details.

Electricity is also only a part of the "energy" we use. Sorry to disappoint but it's extremely unlikely that electric cars will be more than a tiny niche market. Ten thousand dollars of high tech battery is a complex way to get around a few liters of liquid fuels. Plus, most people cannot be bothered to use rechargeable batteries for flashlights, the idea that Americans who have zero energy literacy will magically develop the discipline to use rechargeable cars (assuming building 100 million of them was physically possible) is fantasy worthy of a Disney film.

The future is about relocalization, reduction of consumption, tearing up lawns and parking lots to grow food. Solar isn't going to run long distance delivery of food across time zones. Sorry.

by Mark Robinowitz on Jun 4, 2012 2:04 am • link • report