[ExI] Bosch exits Solar business in Germany

[Eugen Leitl]

On Tue, Mar 26, 2013 at 03:39:13PM -0600, Kelly Anderson wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 25, 2013 at 8:46 AM, Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:
> >> http://phys.org/news/2013-03-bosch-abandon-solar-energy-business.html
> 
> Here is the first comment on that article:

Physorg is low-quality, and comments there are... not so good.
 
> "This is exactly what happens when governments try and push a
> technology that is not ready for large scale manufacturing.

Bzzt. You create new markets by temporary subsidies, which push
new technologies into economies of scale and establish
support infrastructure. This has happened. Malicious
and capricious slashing of subsidies in Germany to 
deliberately damage renewables and economic downturn 
in specific countries causing a stall in demand caused 
the Chinese bankruptcy.  (That Bosch couldn't compete 
in the globalized market was no surprise).

> Fundamental research is still underway and is needed to be much

No, Si is good enough. In fact, Si is so good that thin-film has
problems to compete against a mature technology and infrastructure.

> further along prior to the advent of mass production of efficient and

Efficiency is irrelevant, 17% is plenty.

> cheap solar panels. Will it be ready next week? Not likely. Will it be

Depends on where you are
http://www.solarbuzz.com/resources/analyst-insights/installed-pv-system-costs-continue-to-exhibit-strong-global-variations

> ready for that in 10 years? Probably. It's a shame most politicians

10 years? Renewables in Germany began in 1980, and seriously
in 2000. Infrastructure transitions are very expensive,
and happen on a 30-50 year scale. They also take a lot
of energy.

Chances are US has already missed the boat. But you seem
to think there's plenty of time, despite that the net
energy slide has already begun
http://cassandralegacy.blogspot.it/2013/02/the-twilight-of-petroleum.html

> are lawyers (at least in the U.S.) and not businessmen, engineers, or
> scientists. Any of those three actually understand how this works!"
> 
> 
> I could not have said it better myself. Solar has been propped up
> unnaturally by government interference for years. They can never
> succeed until they can succeed on their own.

If solar doesn't succeed, we're dead. So perhaps I would try to
make it succeed, if I were you.

Of course humanity seems to enjoy whistling past the graveyard,
so perhaps it does harbor a collective death wish.