Smitty Two wrote in
news
In article ,
Jim Yanik wrote:



solar still takes far too much real estate to have any decent power
output. It needs water to keep the panels or mirrors clean,and the
places where solar works best are short on water.
then there's the destruction of the environment in those areas.

Like I keep saying, the "panels" of tomorrow will be unrecognizable
compared to those available now. They're working on incorporating
photovoltaics into paint, among other things. Paint your house, and
bingo, the entire surface generates power.

Yeah,during the day,and the output varies drastically with the weather.
And it STILL has to be cleaned daily with scarce water,or it's output drops
drastically.People are not going to WANT to do that.
Tree sap is particularly hard to get off,especially after it gets baked on
by the sun.
There goes your efficiency gains. and it's not PRACTICAL.

It's great for "tomorrow",but does NOTHING for us NOW or in the near
future.

"Tomorrow,tomorrow, fa,la,lala....".


right NOW and the near future,there's no practical substitute for
oil.

Agreed. That's why it's such a good idea to continue to research and
develop practical substitutes.


Who said research should stop? AFAIK,it hasn't stopped.
It's just that government throwing money at it(while taxing or repressing
other energy sources) isn't going to speed things up.
Government is wasteful with money,for little gain.
NASA's example should have taught you that;a lot of people earning really
good salaries,and not advancing space launching much.
(and now they're into muslim outreach,thanks to Comrade Obama!)

solar is not and will not be "practical" for widespread usage.
just for special applications,as it is now.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com