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Solar Power Capacity Installs Surpass Wind and Coal For Second Year
Lucas123 writes: Residential rooftop solar installations hit a historical high in the first quarter of 2015, garnering an 11% increase over the previous quarter and a 76% increase over the Q1, 2014. New installations of solar power capacity surpassed those of wind and coal for the second year in a row, accounting for 32% of all new electrical capacity, according to a new report by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association. Residential solar installation costs dropped to $3.46 per watt of installed capacity this quarter, which represents a 2.2% reduction over last quarter and a 10% reduction over the first quarter of 2014.
What do you mean by utilization rate? Do you mean the amount of energy a solar cell generates or do you mean the amount of energy generated at a time it is consumed?
You can call it circle jerking all you want, but an increase in the amount of renewable energy regardless of your other metrics is always a good thing providing the energy source pays for itself and offsets the energy that went into getting that energy. For solar we've reached that point a long time ago meaning at this point more = better regardless of how it compares to other energy sources.
Your air doesn't look like China's. You're coming out ahead.
Why is it that if a corporation like GE or Microsoft takes advantage of the government subsidies or tax structures it's smart business, if a politician who ardently complains about spending taxpayer money takes federal campaign money he's just taking his fair share, but if a homeowner utilizes a government subsidy he's a selfish prick who's bad at math?
Do you quibble with Wall Street over earnings reports as well, because they're all bad at math? Or do you only whinge about people who you think don't support your political viewpoint? Seriously, what's your problem?
Libertarians engage in magical thinking that somehow the wealthy and powerful to not step on everyone, take everything from everyone, and destroy everyone else. It's not a practical system of government. It never has been. It's an interesting small element of a successful government but it's impractical and really immature wishful thinking.
Your statement that the money was "stolen" by use of government force is incorrect, self centered, and shallow.
You voted for representatives. A majority of representatives voted for a policy and the executive officers of several states and the national government approved those policies. You don't get a veto. It was- by definition- legal and fair.
The rest of your statement is a pointless insult that shows little thought and isn't worth engaging.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
It doesnt matter that the extra $5K is actually going to be borrowed by the government, a debt that will have to be services by your children, and their children, and their children, and their children....
The alternative is to do nothing, and break the planet so badly that our children's children find their homes under water and there isn't enough food for them to eat. But hay, at least there is no debt...
It's the much lesser of two evils. By subsidising solar to increase the pace of development and installation we are heading off a worse disaster than a relatively small amount of government debt in the future. A tax payer with principals would realize that sometimes things need to be done for the long term greater good.
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SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
well... lets check the maths. He said he was paying $3000 per year before installing, so in 22 years it would start paying for itself if the unit price he was paying remained the same as in 2003 but as we know that unit price would have gone up in 12 years so it would probably be less than 22 years. But as he got subsidies of over $30000, he's probably already getting a return after 10 years. The panels appear to have a estimated 25 year life time.
"Oil industry gets bigger subsidies than any "green" industry." - its a valid comment because if they didn't receive so much subsidy then you'd be paying a lot more your for fossil fuel power generation, you also have to work out just how many decades fossil fuel has been subsidised compared to the one decade solar has been subsidised.
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
You must have a real dilemma when you fill up your vehicle with gas...
"The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
"A 100MW wind farm is a perfectly good substitute for a 100MW coal power station. As demonstrated in Spain, Greece, Germany and the UK."
In other words, you didn't even read the previous comment you are replying to, where he clearly explains why a 100MW wind farm is NOT a "perfectly good substitute" for a 100MW coal power station. Jesus...
I explain why a 100MW solar farm (which is what this story is about) is a perfectly good (indeed in many ways superior) substitute for a 100MW coal power station.
Yeah, just as long as you build it somewhere where there's 24/7 sunlight and no clouds. Non-geostationary orbit maybe?
SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
Your scientific ignorance is only shadowed by your hubris. You know so little, yet are convinced you know so much. It must be hell to be you.