Carl Pope Drawing the Wrong Lessons as Usual for Labor Day
Post on: 2011-09-05 By: admin
So what should our nation's leaders do? If China is gaining control of the solar panel space with cheap credit, why not set up a national clean-energy bank that can make loans cheaply? Not every 1930s rural electrification co-op made it, but rural America got electricity -- and America led the world. (Disclosure -- My father worked for the Rural Electrification Administration his whole life -- so I grew up hearing how FDR electrified rural America.) President Obama and the congressional Democrats have floated this idea -- but they've never gone to the mat for it. We'll probably hear about it again next week. But we won't make it happen until something changes.
And if it's outright subsidies that get Chinese solar panels into the U.S. (which evidence suggests is at least part of the story), then why not enforce our trade laws? (I know, law and order is so... Nineties.) But the reality is that solar power is not a failed or failing business -- it's the future. If the U.S. wants to be part of that future, then we need to make solar panels here in the USA, and we need to create the markets for panels with public policies like renewable-electricity standards and feed-in tariffs.
And if China is taking away market share, it is most definitely not evidence that we are doing too much or moving too fast. Nor does it mean that U.S. companies (as per the Tea Party) have no business innovating. It's simply proof that neither timid nor bought-and-sold politics will cut the mustard in the 21st century.
Don't weep for Solyndra. Weep for the American dream.
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Washington, D.C. -- So one of the Department of Energy's big clean-energy bets -- Solyndra -- didn't make it. But this city is wrangling over which wrong conclusion to draw. The Tea Party Republicans,...
Washington, D.C. -- So one of the Department of Energy's big clean-energy bets -- Solyndra -- didn't make it. But this city is wrangling over which wrong conclusion to draw. The Tea Party Republicans,...
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18 minutes ago (1:30 AM)
Solar energy simply isn't more readily embraced because of the exorbitant one time cost associated with installation of the panels. However, what people don't understand is what makes solar panels so darn expensive, if you listen to a debate on the subject on CNN or Fox News some pundit or energy industry insider will tell you that market forces won't allow solar energy to be profitable except for either over long durations of time or if purchased in mass quantity which isn't conventional at a consumer level, only on a massive government infrastructure upheaval mandate. When they say market forces they just gloss over the almighty market forces as if everyone has a stake in the planets future energy and its this big collective pot of energy futures, and it isn't its simple Exxon, Chevron, Valero, Shell, and BP, that are pricing solar panels. Think about it solar panels aren't made of any precious commodity that forever propels its price upwards as other energy sources dwindle, these energy leviathans are pricing solar panels out of competition and one of their greatest misinformation campaigns they have of many is the ant-solar campaign. We are quite literally awash in energy and aren't being allowed to harness it, we have more than enough solar energy, the oil industry won't prioritize solar energy until every profitable drop of oil is extracted from Earth, they won't stop their either, they'll hydrolically frack the Northeast into a wasteland.
Gurinder_Dhillon: Solar energy simply isn't more readily embraced because of the
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Gurinder_Dhillon/drawing-the-wrong-lessons_b_947327_106399204.html
24 minutes ago (1:24 AM)
The real problem is that big Saudi oil is one of the biggest players in Washington.And big Texas oil, and big Canadian oil.Oil, oil, oil.They won't even let Obama keep one of his many broken promises:To restore the PV collectors on the White House torn down by President Reagan.
Chris_Herz: The real problem is that big Saudi oil is one
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Chris_Herz/drawing-the-wrong-lessons_b_947327_106398825.html
Love, Tolerance, Enlightenment
Solar panels are already cheaper than anything Solyndra could possibly supply.Even American solar panels companies totally out shined them.Their design was too fragile and expensive.Failed experiments are par for the market, new market even more so.
50% of nukes default, that's significant.
Don't worry, Solar is already cheaper than nukes, clean coal, and oil wars or sands.
http://cleantechnica.com/2011/06/10/solar-power-graphs-to-make-you-smile/
Great chart of energy source amounts: http://cleantechnica.com/2011/08/23/solar-power-intro-3-key-solar-power-points-top-solar-power-news/
Genders: Solar panels are already cheaper than anything Solyndra could possibly
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Genders/drawing-the-wrong-lessons_b_947327_106346224.html
Anyone who wants to put solar panels on their roofs can do so.TODAY.
The U.S. should have figured out by now that it cannot hope to compete with China on price.It's not just the cheap labor.It's the fact that China is flush with cash, its economy is growing at 9% per year, and they've got plenty of money to throw at high-risk schemes.
And our labor costs will always be higher than theirs.
We cannot compete with China on price.
What's wrong with just buying cheap solar panels from China, if they can make quality products cheaply?
sino53: Anyone who wants to put solar panels on their roofs
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/sino53/drawing-the-wrong-lessons_b_947327_106343478.html
You left out several important elements in your recommendation to the President and Congress. If a Clean Tech National Lending Program is going to be successful, it needs to include all levels of government to have access to the program as well as all business and residential property owners. It should including money for LED lighting, geothermal heating and cooling, energy star appliances, vampire energy eliminating devices, thermal windows, insulation, and weatherization. The alternative energy investment tax credit should be converted to an energy efficiency investment tax credit to help accelerate the payback. All energy savings should be used to repay the loans and handled by the utilities who have the means to collect utility bills and track the saving through historical use.
In addition, it does little good for energy efficiency to have the investor owned utility model that robs people of their energy efficiency gains through rate increase as a result of a utility not earning its guaranteed rate of return. Therefore, the Investor Owned Utility model should be replaced with a modified version of the California ISO. The ISO would be required to pay market rates for excess capacity sold into the grid by all business, residential and government producers of clean energy.
Last, once a property has undergone a complete energy efficiency retrofit, it would then become eligible for the alternative energy investment tax credit. To provide this credit before a retrofit defeats the purpose of wise energy use.
alvdh1: Carl, You left out several important elements in your recommendation
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/alvdh1/drawing-the-wrong-lessons_b_947327_106308252.html
The REA is the reason we have so many coal burners now.
The Chinese are pursuing our innovations, Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors (LFTR)s.
The Molten Salt Reactor technology, Dr Alvin Weinberg, developed at Oak Ridge from 1954 to
1973, When he was dismissed as Director for being overly concerned with safety issues of the
Light Water Reactor (LWR)[the type of reactors at TMI, Chernobyl, and Fukushima]. Dr Weinberg
the patent holder of the LWR describe the decision to use LWR for civilian electric power
generation as a FAUSTIAN BARGAIN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOoBTufkEog
In an interview with CAS Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics
Said as follows; {my slant on the google translation}”
As the world's next generation of nuclear reactors still under development, so our own research and development of thorium-based molten salt reactor{LFTR Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor}, may be all intellectual property rights. This will enable China to firmly grasp the lifeline of energy in their own hands.
Let the {word} nuclear no longer {be threatening}.
In the past, people always talk about{disastrous} nuclear {events} . Atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion, is like a lingering nightmare to stay in human history. But a new generation of nuclear power {LFTR} will be a green, {path to} peace {for all} mankind into a new era.”
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=ensl=zh-CNtl=enu=http://whb.news365.com.cn/yw/201101/t20110126_2944856.htm
Terry_Floyd: The REA is the reason we have so many coal
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Terry_Floyd/drawing-the-wrong-lessons_b_947327_106284968.html
I tend to look at going green as the modern day space race.We can and should be gearing up as a country to improve the many renewable energy sources available so that they are economically feasible and easy to implement.We did these things before, we can do it again.For the life of me I can't understand people like the Tea Party wanting to hold back this innovation.I can only imagine what people like them must have been saying in the sixties - why go to space or the moon, if god wanted us there, he would have put us there instead of earth or some other such nonsense.
Cyn63: I tend to look at going green as the modern
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Cyn63/drawing-the-wrong-lessons_b_947327_106279715.html
This article is a good introduction for those unfamiliar with this situation.I think a detailed explanation of the financing of the project would be helpful (perhaps just a citation to a good article).Also, a detailed comparison of costs of solar panels from various sources (again, perhaps a citation to an article).And, finally, a look at who, if anybody, came out ahead financially and who (e.g., taxpayers/the federal government?) lost money.More information/citations would be appreciated.Thanks!
dbdel: This article is a good introduction for those unfamiliar with
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/dbdel/drawing-the-wrong-lessons_b_947327_106276559.html
Hi Carl. Would you consider a review of the structuring of the money being spent? I would think an agreement to purchase actual panels, perhaps the first ten thousand made, for installation on government buildings would be a better approach.
Low interest loans for the corporate entities may be necessary too, but we the people would at least get tangible and useful cost saving products instead of just aid to our economy and competitiveness with cash on delivery purchases. Having a buyer lined up is quite a motivator for getting to actual production and business viability too.
I get that if solar companies win, we all win. It just seems the direct benefits are being skewed to those taking risks with our money. Loans being repaid is not the same.
altohone: Hi Carl. Would you consider a review of the structuring
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/altohone/drawing-the-wrong-lessons_b_947327_106236033.html
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