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Kasz216 on 28 September 2010
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drkohler said:
Kasz216 said:

a) And everybody would be poorer... because solar power is way too expensive at current.  Solar Power doesn't work viably... outside of like... Nevada because of where it's located. 

b) The only viable way to really do solar power is individually.  Put solar panels on your roof and sell excess energy back to the grid if you can.  Actual solar power plants are WAAAAAAAY too costly to produce good results.

c) Plus honestly, they don't make very good primary power plants, because you never know how much power you are going to generate day to day, and the battery methods are still pretty shakey.  So you need to take up WAY more land then you'll probably use on most days, just for the few days you wouldn't.

a) Nonsense. Solar irradiation data is available for basically every quare inch of the world. The USA has enough desert area to generate solar power for the entire world (and yes, I know that the sun does not shine at night - except at the opposite side of the world). Again, a fraction of the money the USA wasted in Iraq would have built/jumpstarted enough solar power plants for the entire USA. And price is a function of mass manufacturing..

b) Again, a fraction of the money the USA wasted in Iraq would have built enough solar power plants for the USA. Individual back to grid solar cells on your roof is not a good idea (unless you live in a desert and have the money to replace the phase sensitive rectifier every few years.

c) That is way there is extensive solar irradiation data available for every sqzuare inch of the world. And no, nobody saves excess solar energy in batteries during the day.

Again, science nowadways knows how,where, how big and why to build efficient solar power plants (there is a large project in its infancy stages to power parts of Europe from solar plants located in the Sahara desert). It is up to the politicians to make the bold move. But as long as we get these stupid "drill baby, drill" ladies and tea party oil millionaires, I have no hopes.

You do realize nothing you said actually disprove any of my points.  Building a plant doesn't really have jack to do with the day to day costs of getting energy to you.  Solar energy costs much more to the consumer then Hydro, Oil or Coal.

Also, yes people do store excess solar energy in batteries during the day, and night.  It's kinda how Solar power plants power things at night.  Usually via salt... which has been proven to be likely the best method.