[ExI] The silent PV revolution

[Stefano Vaj]

On 10 April 2012 05:11, Kelly Anderson <kellycoinguy at gmail.com> wrote:

> At least we agree on that. But I take the moral of the story to be,
> Don't even start doing subsidies. Then you don't have to worry about
> pulling the rug out from under your fake industry.
>

In principle, I am pretty sure that subsidies *might* be a way to bootstrap
a paradigm shift out of a sub-optimal adaptative hole... :-)

It does not imply however that this was/is true for earth-based solar power.

I personally try to keep an open mind, some data and arguments and the
obvious thought devoted to the subject by Eugen made me pause, especially
given the fact that I am not eager to invest much time educating myself
with the details, but I cannot resist some degree of aesthetic and
philosophical hostility to earth-based solar in comparison, say, with
fusion reactors or space-based solar or deep geothermy or any such bolder
and more interesting bets.

While the sun is perfectly OK to dry oneself after a swim, or to operate
the lamp of a cabin in the wood, as far as the primary sources for the grid
and large-scale energy production are concerned no matter how efficient the
panels can be made, we would still be trying to squeeze the most of a
limited, low-temperature, diluted, discontinuous energy source. wasting
square meters with structures of dubious elegance and altering the albedo
of our planet.

-- 
Stefano Vaj
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