Please Tell Me That The Populace Over There In The Us Is Not Gullible Enough To Believe This?

[Leela Valley Leather]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/02/07/fox_news_expert_on_solar_energy_germany_gets_a_lot_more_sun_than_we_do_video.html

Something to be noted about the lady making the claim.

"Shibani Joshi holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is married to Rahul Advani, a principal for energy investments at Energy Capital Partners in Short Hills, New Jersey

Energy Capital Partners is a private equity firm dedicated to investing in North America's energy infrastructure. ... owns three natural gas fields"

My poor mind is still trying to come to grips with her statement...

[DoubleC]

ROFL, loved sunny Germany when I visited.

[Cyberthrasher]

Unfortunately, that's the nature of FOX (or Faux) News. They create more news then they report, and I hate to admit that a large percentage of our population believes it. Now, that's all I'm saying because I hate it when people talk politics online.

[TwinOaks]

Such is the nature of the media, in general, these days. Self proclaimed experts offering opinions just about anything. And, no, this thread will NOT get a political slant to it.

[dirtclod]

It's pretty simple if you think about. Her man has something to sell if he can make people think that gas is the only way, guess what he gets RICH !!!! Greed pure and simple.

[Bryan M]

If your going to tell the truth, tell all the truth. Solar is second only to neuclear power for cost per kilowat hour. Germany, even with all its government subsities only uses 1.1% solar power. The reason? Cost. Spain has suspended its solar progam all together. Why? Its too expensive. Fully half of the cost of a solar system is the silicon waffers that make up the grid. Silicon is very expencive to purify to the level that is needed for a solar panel. The rest of the "soft" costs associated with solar power are the mounting systems and the connections to the homes, businesses ect.

In the SW United States, some solar power has reached "grid parity". That means its less expensive than other forms of power generation. Why is that? There is very little cloud cover and rain. This is the exception rather than the rule. The least expensive form of energy in the US is coal. At $.008 per KwH, is the cheapest form of energy. And we are the Saudi Arabia of coal.

Coal is getting more expensive to use. The reason for that is regulation, not supply and demand. At some point there will be parity between coal and solar. Some estimates say 2017. I reserve judgement on that estimate for my own part.

I did a little self study for my climate and part of the world. For a solar system for my home the costs would be $35,000. The expected pay off would be 25 years. The life of the system would be 15 years. In other words I would have to replace the system after 15 years and I would never recoup my own costs.

For countries like Australia, solar makes much more sense. I have friends who rely completely on solar/battery systems for their power they are so far off the grid. But they still cost an arm an a leg to get them.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2010/11/101105-cost-of-solar-energy/

[TwoMikes]

I apologize to all for posting my political comment.

To make up, I hereby submit this gem ...

CNN anchor Deb Feyerick asks Bill Nye The Science Guy if an approaching asteroid “is an example of, perhaps, global warming?”

http://www.mrctv.org...-global-warming

Sometimes its hard to tell which is worse on the news, the train wreck or the reporting on the train wreck.

Edited February 10, 2013 by TwoMikes