On 5/10/2017 7:08 PM, Roger Blake wrote:
On 2017-05-11, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
I'd not call it a farce, but it says we have to do things in a different
manner. It will take many more years to become economically a winner.
They laughed at the horseless carriage too.

Solar should be permitted to succeed or fail on its own merits. If it is
any good it does not need to be subsidized.

In the general case, I'd agree.
In some cases, the startup costs are so high that for-profit
industry can't front the money to do it.
There's also the issue of coordination.
It's the old chicken, egg, dead chicken problem.
I won't build an electric car if you won't make batteries.
You won't make batteries if there are no electric cars.
Nobody wants to pay more to drive an electric car...strike 3.
The people, through their elected officials, for the common good,
subsidize the startup.

Wind and solar certainly have their place where needs are modest and
no alternatives exist. As a general solution to the world's energy
needs, they're a non-starter with currently imaginable technology and
insatiable demand.
Subsidize the research. Build some prototypes. Don't subsidize
rooftop solar panels in regions where alternatives are plentiful.
Build nukes instead. Waste disposal is a far easier problem to solve
than global warming past the tipping point. No, I don't have a solution,
but nobody can imagine a solution to climate change past the tipping point.

The elephant in the room is global warming.
The proven solution with available technology is nuclear.
We could solve our CO2 problem with nuclear.
There's too much fear for that to happen until we really feel
the consequences of global warming. Then it's too late.
So, we'll just continue on our current path to destruction.
It's a self limiting situation. Our descendents will die off.
No big deal for us tho. We'll all be fine...sigh...
People are just too selfish to reduce current demand for some
future disaster...assuming you believe the GW fear mongers.

I think the evidence is a bit thin. If Al Gore believed it,
would he be flying around in a private plane to his
many mansions? He should be setting an example, not exacerbating
the problem.

The solution to the problem is clear.
Build some nuclear power plants.
Terminate half the population, sterilize most of who's
left and live within the resources of the
planet. Or let the planet do it for you. Same end result, just
harsher conditions for the survivors.

The problem can't be fixed with the current mindset, no matter how
many tree huggers march in the streets.
Think how much we could achieve if all the people marching
in the streets destroying property of those who have no impact
on the solution set about solving the problems we already have.