A new post containing a cartoon from Josh will appear every hour. At the end of the 24 hours, everything will be collated on a single page. Readers are encouraged to post skeptical arguments below, as well as offer comments on what has been seen from the Climate Reality Project so far.
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Solar is the way forward (as long as the subsidies hold out).
First, let me say I’m a fan of solar power when done correctly and without financial carrots hung out for electricity generation that entice abuse of the system. I put solar on my own home.
Bishop Hill points out that some solar power installations in Spain were producing power at night.
The SARCLIGHT® – The soon to be patented “solar power at night” arclight systemHe writes of what was thought to be a joke:
…The prices paid for green energy were so high that it appeared to be profitable to generate that energy by shining conventionally fuelled arclights on the solar panels.
But finds truth to be stranger than fiction:
Although the exact details are slightly different there is now an intriguing report of the scam in practice. The text is based on a machine translation of the original German text:
After press reports, it was established during inspections that several solar power plants were generating current and feeding it into the net at night. To simulate a larger installation capacity, the operators connected diesel generators.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said one industry expert to the newspaper “El Mundo”, which brought the scandal to light. If solar systems apparently produce current in the dark, will be noticed sooner or later. However, if electricity generators were connected during daytime, the swindle would hardly be noticed.
As I said last time around, this is the insanity of greenery.
Here is the Google Translation of the article.
You too can generate energy with your solar system at night, all you need is an 850 million candlepower WWII era searchlight, now available for rent.
Hey, it’s not crazy. There are so many fees, taxes, add ons, etc to power bills here in California now it is actually cheaper to generate your own electricity running a diesel generator than it is to buy it from PG&E. Anyone have a used diesel-electric locomotive I can buy?
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Solyndra Solar raided by FBI
I guess the feds want to know where that $535 million dollar “green jobs” DOE loan went.
Via Andrew Breitbart and from NBC Bay Area News:
FBI agents armed with search warrants descended this morning on bankrupt solar company Solynrda this morning.
The investigation comes after a request by the Department of Energy’s inspector general, FBI spokesman Peter Lee told NBC Bay Area News.
Agents arrived at 7a.m. and are examining the factory. Solynrda has a skeleton crew of 100 workers on the scene, closing the factory down. A CNBC photographer on the scene says the FBI has promised a press conference. An agency spokesperson at its San Francisco headquarters says he’s unaware of any such plans.
Solyndra filed for bankruptcy last week, shocking both workers and the Obama administration, which had given the startup hundreds of millions of dollars in low interest loans.
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Solyndra Loan: Now Treasury Is Launching Investigation – ABC News
The Treasury Department’s inspector general has opened a new front in the investigation of the government loan to Solyndra, the now bankrupt company that had been touted as a model of President Obama’s ambitious green energy program, ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity/iWatch News have learned.
The new probe involves the $535 million loan, arranged by the Energy Department, but actually processed by the Federal Financing Bank, a government lending institution that falls under Treasury’s control. Already, the FBI and the Energy Department’s inspector general have executed search warrants at Solyndra’s headquarters and questioned company executives.
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Josh put a lot of work into these, so if you like the work, drop by the tip jar. Unlike Gore’s CRP, he won’t spam you asking for more. Buy him a beer, he’s worked a long time bringing us enjoyment with only some “attaboys” sent his way.
Something about solar panels working when they’ve been placed “where the Sun don’t shine”
that just don’t seem right.
Solyndra, one of Obama’s “poster children” is failing?
Gee, didn’t they have a Union?
Here is a list of some of the September 14/15 weather from before AGW. It’s not exhaustive and some of the dates may be when things were reported rather than the date they happened but you get the picture. Sorry about the length.
1716 September 14th: “A very remarkable phenomenon occurred at London Bridge, when in consequence of the long drought, the stream of the river Thames was reduced so low and from the effect of a violent gale at WSW was blown so dry that many thousands of people passed it on foot both above and below the bridge through most of the arches. The channel in the middle of the river was scarcely ten yards wide and very shallow.”
Grenoble the terrible flood of September 15, 1733
Sept 15 1735 Hailstorm. Most unreaped corn in Ayrshire destroyed. Hail up to 2 feet deep.
Sep 1752 – One of the fiercest hurricanes in (SC) Charleston’s entire history blew ashore in September 1752, killing more than 15 people and at one point inundating the city to a depth of nine feet.
Sep 14, 1772 – And on the 14 th of September 1772, the lightning descended into the Doubs , near Besancon, leaving shoals of stunned and dead fish floating with the current.
September 15, 1806 – Saint Augustine receives a landfall from a severe hurricane that destroys several houses, uproots many trees, washes several vessels ashore, and destroys the city pie
Sep 15, 1821 – September 15, 1821 – A hurricane estimated to have made landfall near the border of Alabama and Mississippi produces high tides along the Florida Panhandle, sinking six ships in Pensacola and causing minor damage to homes.
Sep 15, 1822 – Rouen cathedral was struck by lightning about 5 o’clock in the morning of and continued burning till evening, when the fire seemed to be subdued, but unfortunately broke out again on the Monday, when the dome fell, and the whole burst forth in such a tremendous blaze as to defy all resistance.
September 14, 1824 – A storm which moves inland near Darien, Georgia brings hurricane force conditions to northeastern Florida.
Sep 14, 1828 – The evening of September 14 th 1828 Roncole, Italy a terrible storm hit the town, and Verdi was unable to reach the Sanctuary where he was to accompany Vespers on the harmonium . During the Mass a lightening bolt entered the church killing four priests, including Don Masini, and two choristers, one of whom was Verdi’s cousin.
September 14, 1835 – A major hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, moves across the state, and recurves in the Gulf of Mexico before hitting near Tampa Bay. In the southeastern portion of the state, the hurricane severely floods several islands, while damage in and around Tampa totals $200,000 (1835 USD, $4.1 million 2008 USD). After moving northeastward through the state, the hurricane destroys the lighthouse at the Ponce de León Inlet.
Sep 15, 1835 – A particularly murderous, September 15, 1835, hurricane stymied the Florida Keys , killing more than 100 people and injuring hundreds of others. The hurricane’s force was felt from Key Largo to Key West, where many boats and ships were thrown ashore, several of them becoming total losses. More than four feet (1 m) of water ran through the center of Key Biscayne, knocking houses from their foundations and depositing them in the surrounding mangrove swamps.
September 14, 1841 – The town of Saint Joseph is destroyed by a hurricane hitting the Florida Panhandle.
Sep 15, 1855 – A particularly strong and damaging hurricane, this particular storm was first detected as a rapidly intensifying Category 1 hurricane about 250-300 miles south of the Mouth of the Mississippi River on September 15, 1855. It is likely that this hurricane originated, given the track, as a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa during the first of the month.
September 15, 1858 – The third tropical storm of the season hits near Tampa Bay and causes little effects as it crosses the state.
Sep 1861 – In September, 1861, the worst flood in the history of the Clarion River occurred . All bridges along the streams were washed out, and millions of feet of lumber were lost. The flood speed averaged 14 miles per hour. Since then, the Clarion and the Allegheny have been plagued with floods that usually happen in the early Spring when the ice begins to melt from heavy rains, causing the river to jam up . West Monterey has been under water more times than its residents care to…
Sept 15 1866 – great typhoon off Japan
On September 14, 1873 the ship Ironsides left Milwaukee , bound for Grand Haven. That night she foundered in a violent storm. She struck a bar while attempting to enter the harbor at Grand Haven. After turning from the shore, when 10 miles from the land, she foundered. 24 of the passengers and crew perished.
September 14, 1875 – Key West reports 45 mph (72 km/h) winds in association with a hurricane that passes to the southwest of the state.
Sep 15, 1875 – INDIANOLA HURRICANES. The first of the two great Indianola hurricanes that resulted in the demise of the town began on September 15, 1875, when Indianola was crammed with visitors attending a trial growing out of the Sutton-Taylor Feud. The hurricane blew in from the sea, carrying the water from Matagorda Bay deep into Indianola’s streets. Two days later, when the storm had subsided, only eight buildings were left undamaged, and fatalities were estimated at 150 and 300 persons
September 14, 1875 – Key West reports 45 mph (72 km/h) winds in association with a hurricane that passes to the southwest of the state
Sep 14, 1876 – A year later, on September 14, 1876, Father Vines predicted the future path of another violent hurricane. The captain of the sailing vessel Liberty ignored the warning and his ship was wrecked when he sailed directly into the path of the storm.
September 15-17 1877: Hurricane affected the entire Texas coast. In Galveston, winds were noted out of the east during the night of September 15.
Sep 14, 1878 – But by far the worst Don flood was that of September 14, 1878. It was referred to as ‘the great rainstorm’; a tribute to a rainfall of ‘diluvial proportions. All five bridges on the Don were swept away: the Taylor bridge crashed into the Gerrard Street bridge. In the wake of the floating bridge, came furniture, trees , remnants of barns, chicken coops, framework of saw mills. At King and Queen Streets the scene was one of desolation.
Sep 15, 1880 – Melbourne, September 1A The floods in Melbourne are now subsiding”. In consequence of the flood,
Sep 15, 1881 – This storm was the most powerful storm of the Pacific. Even that is not the greatest hurricane of all. This cyclone hit Vietnam on September 15, 1881. 300000 people died in Vietnam and surrounding areas. The collateral damage was enormous. Still, little is know about this hurricane and the power that it produced.
Sep 15, 1881 – Haiphong, Vietnam, in the Gulf of Tonkin, lies directly in one of the most frequently used paths for those Pacific typhoons that originate in and around the Philippines and reach the Asian mainland through the Gulf of Tonkin. The typhoon that arrived on September 15, 1881, was very powerful and it devastated Haiphong and the surrounding coastal area. Three hundred thousand died.
1882 Atlantic hurricane season was a Category 2 hurricane was first observed in the Gulf of Mexico on September 14. Its prior track is unknown, but it moved to the west-northwest, and hit near the Texas/Louisiana border on September 15. The storm brought a 3 foot storm surge, caused moderate damage, and killed one person
Sep 14, 1882 – On September 14, 1882, the passenger steamer Asia sank in a storm on Georgian Bay. Of more than 124 people who had been aboard the ship, only two survived; 17 -year-old Christie Ann Morrison and 18-year-old Douglas Tinkis. The two teenagers found themselves adrift in a lifeboat with the bodies of five men who had died from exposure.
I read about two Sparks brothers, surveyors, drowned in the sinking of the Asia, 14 September 1882, near Byng Inlet, Georgian Bay. The Asia, with nearly 100 casualties, was one of the wrecks during a major storm
1882 – Nzw YoaK, September 15.-During a thunder storm last night lightning struck Son e & Fleming’s oil works, at Kingsland and Meserole avenues. and Donaldson’s oil works, in Kingsland, near Muker avenue, setting them both on fire
Sep 14, 1889 – Sydney, September 14. | The largest flood ever known is coming dawn the Murray. The snow waters coming down the Murray have reached Albury at which point the river is 15 feet above its summer level. The water is expected to reach the neighbourhood of Deniliquin by Sunday week when the town will be submerged.
Sep 14, 1891 – Such frequent occurrences in September are especially unfortunate, in that the earlier varieties of rice-plant are flowering about that time and the passage of a violent storm too frequently leaves a blighting effect on the crop. This is therefore one of the most dreaded seasons for farmers. The record velocity of typhoon in Japan is that which visited Yamaguchi on Sept. 14, 1891.
The record velocity of typhoon in Japan is that which visited Yamaguchi on Sept. 14, 1891
1892 – A FATAL TYPHOON. New Yukk, Sept. 15. Advices reoeived at San Francisco by mail state that 300 persons were killed by a typhoon m Tokushinia, Japan, and forty- two thousand houses destroyed.
Sep 16, 1893 – NELSON NZ, September 15. An extraordinary storm was experienced here. About 2.30 o’ clock a small whirlwind passed through the centre of the town and some … A remarkably heavy downpour followed, accompanied between 5 and 6 o’clock by thunder and lightning.
The mercury yesterday equaled the peak for same date set In 1897. and was at degree lower than the mark of 95 degrees recorded on Sept. 13 and 14 In 1927. The intense heat sent large numbers of people to the beaches and parks In Chicago and Ita suburbs.
Sep 14, 1898 – An opportunity was afforded Berson to follow in Glaisher’s footsteps on September 14, 1898, when abnormal heat prevailed in Europe.
Sep 15, 1899 – Received September 15, 1.25 am A DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE. London, September 14. News from the Bermudas states that a hurricane visited^ there, doing .great damage.
SEPTEMBER 14, 1899. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. The drouth and extreme heat are broken at last, copious rains having .
September 15, 1903 – A storm known as the Vagabond Hurricane passes just east of the Outer Banks NC, producing gusty winds but little damage.
Sep 13, 1904 – On September 13, 1904, a storm of marked intensity developed over the Atlantic Ocean east of the coast of the South Atlantic states. It increased rapidly in intensity during the 14th and with rapid movement passed northeastward on the 14th and 15th with its center following the coast line. The precipitation in the path of the storm was of unusual intensity. The center of the cyclonic system passed just to the east of Baltimore during the night of September 14-15
September 15, 1904- A tropical storm becomes extratropical as it moves across the Delaware,[13] killing eight people when a tugboat capsizes
Sep 15, 1905 – The latest and in point of destructiveness the most disastrous of all the storms that have visited the Loup Valley is the Burwell Tornado of September 15, 1905. This came as suddenly as it came unexpected. Never before in history has a real twister of any great dimensions
1909 – A typhoon at Formosa on September 14 devastated the northern’ part pf the island . One hundred and twelve native vessels were’:’wrecked, … A great number of people were drowned or crushed to death. The railway was seriously damaged, and the cable line with Foo Chow destroyed.
1909 Typhoon Foochow on September 15 the worst for 40 years It came without warning arid did terrible damage both ashore and afloat Forty per cent of the native craft were destroyed. Loss of life 2000
September 15, 1910 – The first hurricane of the 1910 season slapped Texas as a hurricane.
Sep 15, 1911 – There has been some loss of prop- erty by lightning and wind and an occasional death has been recorded where some one has been fatally injured by flying debris , or struck by lightning and killed, but these cases have been very rare. On September 15, 1911, AB Stanton had ten head of fat cattle killed by Ughtning on his farm in Washington township, which is prob- ably the greatest loss of animal life in the history of the county.
The Tropical Storm of September 13-14. 1912 by A. Ashenberger;
Sep 15, 1912 – in the Syracuse and the Long Branch area in which 3 people were killed and 50 wounded. Property loss $250,000
Sep 15, 1915 – There were three deaths and seven prostrations reported in New York City yesterday as the result of the heat wave which is gripping the country east of … Yesterday was the hottest Sept, 14 ever recorded at the local Weather Bureau . The maximum was reached at 2 o , when the mercury … HEAT KILLS THREE; NO RELIEF IN SIGHT; Entire Country East of the Mississippi in Grip of Sun and Humidity. NO CHANGE FOR TWO DAYS Record Temperature of 99 Degrees in Orange County ;- Boston Has 92 Degrees, Chicago 90.
September 15, 1915 – Moderate rainfall accompanies a tropical cyclone moving northward from the Gulf of Mexico through the Ohio Valley.
1919 September 15 A hurricane demolished buildings at Port Aransus Texas, on Mustang Island, with loss of life, and also lifted the steamer Medina ashore at the dockhead at Aransas Pass.
Sep 14, 1924 – It was Monday, September 14, 1924. A freak storm covered the Monterey Bay. It had a series of hail, wind, rain, lightning and thunder. Lightning split a tree on the Presidio. Then, at 10:10 am, a bolt of lightning struck the top of one of the Associated Oil storage tanks near the wharf in Monterey.
September 15, 1924 – A minimal hurricane moves ashore near Panama City, producing winds of up to 80 mph (130 km/h) but little damage
Puerto Rico. The only previous flood in the area with which they may be compared occurred September 13-14, 1928, during the San Felipe hurricane.
1928 – September 14/15.-Forty- three persons were reported dead. scores injured, ninny seriously. and property valued in excess of $2.- 0(0000 was damaged by tornadoes in Nebraska. Illinois, South Dakota and Wisconsin Thursday and Friday. Illi- nois and Nebraska were hardest hit. TORNADO KILLS 43, ENTOMBS 100, IN CENTRAL WEST; STORM DEVASTATES PORTO RICO, MOVES ON FLORIDA
September 15, 1932 – A weak tropical storm produces light winds but no reported damage after hitting near Steinhatchee
EXTREMES MARKED 1933 WEATHER HERE; Abnormal Warmth, Rain and Wind, With July Heat Equal to Record for That Month. DOWNPOURS WERE HEAVY Precipitation of 5.41 Inches Sept. 14-15 Greatest Since Park Gauge Was Put In.
September 15, 1933 – The Outer Banks hurricane produces heavy rainfall, strong winds, and high tides.[2] Several homes are destroyed, leaving about 1,000 people homeless, and damage amounts to $4.5 million (1933 USD, $74.6 million 2008 USD). A total of 21 people are killed in the state.
Sep 15, 1934 – The effect on the discharge of the Arkansas River of a flood on the Purgatoire River, September 15, 1934, and of unrecorded floods on Apishapa and Timpas Creeks, is shown by the daily discharge of the Arkansas River at Nepesta, La Junta, and Lamar.
On September 14, 1944 a fierce storm pummeled Ocracoke Island. Winds were estimated at over 100 mph, and tides were running at fourteen feet. The entire island was under water as powerful waves crashed into boats, homes and businesses. Six houses were completely destroyed, as was Capt. Bill Gaskill’s Pamlico Inn and docks on the sound shore.
1944 Hurricane hits New England: 389 die
1944 – On September 15, 1944, the Great Atlantic Hurricane pounded the Lighthouse, destroying a skylight that almost flooded the Engine Room. Lieutenant Olie P. Swensons’ crew bailed water until the open skylight was blocked stopping the rising water two inches below the batteries that supplied the Light stations’ power. The category 2 to 3 hurricane caused heavy damage and 26 casualties including all hands of Vineyard Sound Lightship,
September 14, 1944 — The 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane makes landfall on Long Island as a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale at a high forward speed of 40 mph (64 km/h). Wind gusts of well over 100 mph (160 km/h) breaks previous wind records in New York City, while a minimum pressure reading of 28.47 inches is recorded on Long Island. 117 homes are completely destroyed, while 2,427 are severely damaged and almost 1000 businesses are destroyed or damaged. In all, six people are killed, and one person is injured.
Toll Put At 21 Dead In Bahamas Storm 1945 – Twenty-one persons were; killed on South Calcos and the I Turks Island group September 14.: a hurricane ripped through : the Bahamas, reports reaching here : today said. ? Damage from the hurricane was [heavy, and homeless families taken to schools and other public ; buildings.
September 15, 1945 – The ninth storm of the season, a Category 4 hurricane, strikes Key Largo with wind gusts reaching 150 mph (240 km/h). The winds ignite a fire at three hangars at the Richmond Naval Air Station, which destroys 25 blimps, 366 planes, and 150 automobiles. Across the state, the passage of the hurricane results in 1,632 destroyed houses, with an additional 5,372 damaged. Damage amounts to $54 million (1945 USD, $647 million 2008 USD), of which nearly half occurs at the Richmond Air Station. Four people are killed in the state, with an additional 43 injured.
Sep 15, 1945 – It was on this day, September 15, 1945, that a powerful hurricane struck the greater Miami area. It was a “Cape Verde” hurricane, it had originated off the coast of Africa and moved thousands of miles west becoming a major hurricane ( CAT 3) as it roared through the Turks and Caicos, and then the southern Bahamas. Still strengthening it reach CAT 4 intensity before reaching south Miami coastline; winds were estimated to be near 140 mph.
Sep 15, 1945 – Following the war, LST-568 performed occupation duty in the Far East. She was caught in a typhoon off Ulithi Atoll on 15 September 1945, during which winds reached 120 knots (222 kilometers per hour); near the eye of the storm,
1946 – Cairo, Sept. 14.–(AP.)–Beginning earlier than usual, this year’s abnormally high Nile flood has been headline news here for weeks as Egypt made preparations for what was expected to be the most dangerous inundation recorded in 95 years.
1948 – A hurricane September 15 forced the crew of the, Leicester to abandon ship 750 miles off Halifax, NS Seven crewmen were drowned during the storm.
Sep 14, 1948 – Tokyo, Tuesday, Sept. 14 (AP)– Japanese press reports today listed 112 dead in flash “floods Sunday on Kyushii Island. In addition to those who perished in Nagasaki and Saga prefectures. 143 Japanese were missing.
1954 Hurricane Edna (2nd of 1954) hits New York City, $50 million damage
September 15 1959, Super Typhoon Sarah passed by the coast of the city and caused catastrophic effect. Busan.
Sep 14, 1960 – Hurricane Ethel originated from a small tropical disturbance over the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of September 14, 1960. Several hours later, the low intensified into a tropical storm, at which time it was given the name Ethel. Roughly six hours after becoming a tropical storm, Ethel was upgraded to a hurricane as it underwent an intense phase of explosive deepening. By this time, gale-force winds extended 150 mi (240 km) to the north of the center.
Sep 15, 1960 – Hurricane Ethel: According to the National Hurricane Center’s “best track” data, Ethel rapidly intensified on September 15, 1960, from a 125-mph Category 3 to a 160-mph Category 5, then back down to a 95-mph Category 1 hurricane.
September 14, 1961 – A tropical storm strikes the state (NC), though no serious damage is reported.
Sep 14, 1964 – Florida Atlantic University opens on September 14, 1964 – six days behind schedule because of Hurricane Cleo, which leaves $100000 in flood and wind damage in its wake.
September 14, 1964- Tropical Storm Dora causes above-normal tides and light rain to Delaware
Sep 14, 1967 – A digital mosaic of cloud pictures was taken by the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) 5 satellite on September 14, 1967. It shows more than a dozen storm areas, including hurricanes Beulah, Dora, Chloe, Monica, and Nannette.
1968 – LONDON, Sept. 15 (IA freak twister and torrential rains swamped southeast Eng- land under mudslides and ris- ing floods today. Hundreds fled their homes in boats, thousands of travelers were stranded, and communications were cut over Rain was still coming down after a downpour
September 15, 1972 – The remnants of Hurricane Dawn dissipate offshore of South Carolina, dropping very light rainfall in North Carolina
Sep 14, 1973 – Flash flooding occurred on September 14, 1973. in northwestern South Carolina and in the Savannah River basin and Santee River basin. Intense rains caused minor flash-flood damage in Charleston and in the Beaufort area. Rainfall ranged from 6 to 9 inches along a west-to-east area from Walhalla to Gaffney. Major flash-flood damage was caused in Laurens when rising waters from the Little River inundated a shopping center.
And I have a solar panel in my car, to trickle charge the emergency booster battery. Of course, connecting it to the alternator would do the job in an hour instead of the currently required several days.
Solar definitely has a place. Or will. Eventually. Maybe. I don’t have a problem with people legitimately building solar facilities, or using solar in remote areas… it’s a good idea, but I don’t want to be forced to pay for ANY overpriced intermittent power supply on my electric bill. To run my PC, laptop, servers, TV, stereo, furnace, A/C, and lights, I expect a proper, inexpensive, legitimate power infrastructure, not something that depends on rainbow colored unicorn farts.
Anybody remember the 1992 Vice Presidential debate and how Dan Quayle lectured Gore? I’d really like to see something like that as a counter to all this nonsense. Maybe a remix?
Mad Money Jim Cramer is telling callers & tweeters to stay away from solar. Even First Solar…
James Delingpole at the Daily Telegraph WAS going to provide ’24 hours of ManBearPig’ but the man who invented the internet has managed to corrupt or extinguish all the DT blogs.
It doesn’t pay underestimate the long arm of the Gore !
Using numbers from a solar power contractor, I was able to show that under absolute best case scenario, you would only be able to produce enough electricity from a solar panel to pay about 75% of the carrying cost of a loan to buy the solar panel. And that was a 30 year loan. The panel wouldn’t last 30 years. It also ignored any costs needed for maintenance, and the fact that the electrical output would drop as the panel aged.
JohnWho says:
“Solyndra, one of Obama’s “poster children” is failing?
Gee, didn’t they have a Union?”
Yes they had a union. A union that forced them to take a day off without pay when Obama visited:
http://www.breitbart.tv/flashback-solyndra-workers-sent-home-without-pay-for-obamas-photo-op-visit/
However, Solyndra didn’t have much of a business plan. From: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/solyndra-investigat…
“Peter Lynch, a longtime solar industry analyst, told ABC News the company’s fate should have been obvious from the start. “Here’s the bottom line,” Lynch said. “It costs them $6 to make a unit. They’re selling it for $3. In order to be competitive today, they have to sell it for between $1.5 and $2. That is not a viable business plan.””
Keep going Josh.
only a few more to do 🙂
Why are you even doing this project. I enjoy Josh’s cartoons, but I think you are creating Gore’s audience. Is that the idea, to keep Gore as the face of the movement?
MikeN says:
September 15, 2011 at 10:58 am
“Why are you even doing this project. I enjoy Josh’s cartoons, but I think you are creating Gore’s audience. Is that the idea, to keep Gore as the face of the movement?”
Yep. We all fear he’ll be replaced by McKibben.
In the UK they are looking at new designs for power pylons, needed to connect up all the new generation capacity being built in remote places. Those searchlights look like a good alternative. Just hook them up in sequence with solar panels and beam the power back.
TinyCO2:
Superb list!
I’ll be showing it to people who claim our current ‘freak’ weather never occured before Gorebull Warming.
The Solyndra debacle looks like bribery, possibly the worst energy-related bribery scandal in the White House since Teapot Dome.
The United States (at the Federal, State and local levels) has subsidized aircraft manufacture and airline travel since 1905, and still some of the aircraft manufacturers and airlines went bankrupt.
Other solar power companies besides Solyndra are thriving, and the US solar power industry altogether has a positive balance of trade.
Mark Wilson says: Using numbers from a solar power contractor, I was able to show that under absolute best case scenario, you would only be able to produce enough electricity from a solar panel to pay about 75% of the carrying cost of a loan to buy the solar panel. And that was a 30 year loan. The panel wouldn’t last 30 years. It also ignored any costs needed for maintenance, and the fact that the electrical output would drop as the panel aged.
It depends heavily on where you live, and how much electric power you consume. In sunny parts of the country it is an economical way to power air conditioning, and to supplement heating in the winter if you have sunny winter days.
Time for another check with CAISO
http://caiso.com/outlook/SystemStatus.html
California electricity demand +32000 MW, Wind and solar contribution 813 MW with solar actually exceeding wind by a bit. At that it’s actually an improvement from a couple days ago when I checked and it was 300-600 MWs out of +36000 MW demand
Septic Matthew says:
September 15, 2011 at 12:18 pm
I used the peak summer numbers and assumed that would last all year round.
And even with that advantage, they couldn’t cover the cost of the loan in the first year.
Each subsequent year it gets worse.
I noted that I was using a 30 year loan to pay for the panel, and they won’t last 30 years.
Solar never works, unless you are so far away from the grid that you have no chance to connect to it.
It depends heavily on where you live, and how much electric power you consume. In sunny parts of the country it is an economical way to power air conditioning, and to supplement heating in the winter if you have sunny winter days.
I’m afraid not.
I live in very sunny place (Perth Australia) and happen to have a typical 1.5 KW solar panel on my roof. Huge subsidies make it financially attractive.
I have 3 aircons, which draw about 2.5 KW each, the typical domestic single room size. Even in the middle of the day, my solar panel doesn’t produce enough electricity to run an airconditioner. And peak demand for airconditioning starts around 4pm when solar power is negligible.
The reality in sunny places is that you get cumulative solar heating during the day and cumulative radiant cooling at night. Consequently, you rarely run your airconditioner before the middle of the afternoon when solar power is perhaps half the rated amount and declining as evening approaches.
In winter, my solar panels produce barely enough power to run a 100 watt light bulb for perhaps half the day.
green jobs
http://cbullitt.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/theo5.jpg
I wish you had included that classic Josh cartoon showing lights shining on a solar panel at night … it’s funnier than reality.
I’m with you Anthony: Solar does make sense in some applications. In those applications, it makes sense without subsidies on production of either the solar cells, or by mandated infeed tariffs that exceed the costs of other forms of electricity supply.
There are few practical applications in urban and sub-urban areas where solar PV makes any sense. Sure; to run the (LED) light in the shed, etc.
Solar hot water does make some sense in suburban areas if there is sufficient collector size to provide 100% of consumed hot water to the household for at least 8 to 10 months a year.
It makes less sense for space heating; using the sun to heat a very large heat storage tank (greater than the equivalent of 40kWh) to supplement heating needs in winter. Probably most-effective in tropical to temperate climates; especially if the heat store can be “reversed” for summer, to act as a sink for daily heat to supplement or improve the efficiency of other cooling.