Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Here Comes The Sun!
No, it's not another comment on solar flares and activity. This one's about solar power, about energy.
You might not have heard about it from the mainstream media, but we're at an historic crossover point concerning solar power. According to new research, electricity from new solar installations is now cheaper than electricity from proposed new nuclear plants. Read that again. It's a game changer. For decades, the biggest argument against solar power has been its cost. However, new technological advancements have changed the game and are expected to continue to do so.
http://www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/NCW-SolarReport_final1.pdf
Now, I'm not against nuclear power. I think it's one of the tools available for us to become less dependent on fossil fuels which are a problem for us in many ways, including our national defense. However, there are drawbacks to using nuclear power which must be acknowledged. The processing of nuclear material has inherent dangers and liabilities including us currently having no answer for how to properly manage spent waste material. No such problems exist for solar power.
There are other problems, of course. We need to fund research to create batteries which can take better advantage of solar power. Still, we've crossed into new territory now. Good territory.
You might not have heard about it from the mainstream media, but we're at an historic crossover point concerning solar power. According to new research, electricity from new solar installations is now cheaper than electricity from proposed new nuclear plants. Read that again. It's a game changer. For decades, the biggest argument against solar power has been its cost. However, new technological advancements have changed the game and are expected to continue to do so.
http://www.ncwarn.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/NCW-SolarReport_final1.pdf
Now, I'm not against nuclear power. I think it's one of the tools available for us to become less dependent on fossil fuels which are a problem for us in many ways, including our national defense. However, there are drawbacks to using nuclear power which must be acknowledged. The processing of nuclear material has inherent dangers and liabilities including us currently having no answer for how to properly manage spent waste material. No such problems exist for solar power.
There are other problems, of course. We need to fund research to create batteries which can take better advantage of solar power. Still, we've crossed into new territory now. Good territory.
