The Whatcom Excavator
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Who's Planning Our Lives?
    • Diminishing Property Rights
    • NGO's & Public-Private Partners
    • Agenda 21
    • Buzzwords
    • Deep Thought
    • Best Available Science
    • Best Available Humor >
      • Humor Archive
  • The DREDGE
    • Gotta See This
    • How To Dredge
  • Bulldozed
    • Eco-Activism and County Policy
    • CELDF - "Democracy"
    • ALERT: Community Energy Challenge
  • Pig Trough
    • ReSources
    • Sustainable Connections
    • BALLE
    • ICLEI
    • Whatcom County Community Network
    • Big Wheels Award
  • Contact Us

Seattle "Sustainable Solar" Claim Blowing Sunshine About Practicality

12/29/2011

0 Comments

 
A reader tipped us off to this.   WE like the idea of direct conversion of sunlight to electrical energy.  However, the state-of-the-art today is hopelessly impractical.  You need look only as far as the little garden lights that have become so popular recently (because they're now affordable).

They charge all day to provide cold, feeble light for a few hours after sunset. Whooptie-bang!   We realize that they aren't using cutting edge components, but they do illustrate that when you need robust, reliable power to last the night (especially for computers, routers, wi-fi, televisions, DVDs, cable boxes, game consoles, dishwashers, laundry machines, CPAP machines, etc.), solar just doesn't cut it.   It's supplemental at best.     Whatever the reality, sustainability is so dreamy...   Watch Out Whatcom for an increase in pitches just like this here, in the least-sunny corner of the country.

SEATTLEHENGE
posted by Stefan Sheransky, at
Sound Politics
December 23, 2011

Seattle City Light mailed me a letter inviting me to "help build Community Solar today!"

"Community Solar" is
Seattle's Sustainable Energy Future (today!) City Light has partnered with Seattle Parks and Recreation to build three new picnic shelters with roofs made of solar electric panels.
Picture
For only $600 you can purchase one of 1,500 solar units, each of which will generate 50kWh a year (sustainably! today!)

I know you're thinking, chuckling, perhaps: "Does Solar Energy Work in Seattle?"
Yes, it does! City Light reassures us: Seattle City Light customers are installing solar equipment on their homes and businesses - and in greater numbers every year. While we are known for our cloudy skies, Seattle receives more sunlight than Germany, the world's leading solar market.So silly skeptical spoiler me to point out that City Light's current residential marginal rate (its highest) is $0.0956 / kWh. Your $600 solar unit generates $4.78 worth of electricity a year (probably less, assuming that city parks get a volume discount off residential). Your $600 solar unit will pay for itself in only 125 years (sustainably! today!)

This isn't "sustainable" under any non-delusional meaning of the word. It's a temple to the sun god, a modern-day
Stonehenge.

City Light also wants to
sell you solar units for your Mossback home. And never mind the cost, it's a good investment! Its lifetime per-kWh cost is only 3 times what you currently pay for electricity.  But to save you the trouble of doing the math to understand how it's a good investment, I'll tell you that because it's a such good investment multiple government agencies will offer you incentives to invest your money this way.  And you know that government agencies are savvy investors.

[I'll add as an aside that this isn't a sweeping damnation of solar technology itself. The cost is coming down and there are economically viable uses for solar today -- in places with more sunlight and less installed infrastructure. This particular project is far from that category.]   
  ( ...more - the comments are priceless)
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    WE Dredge!
    Picture
    Posting Rules:
    This forum is moderated.  Please make an effort to substantiate claims that support opinion.  Gratuitous profanity and ad-hominem attacks will not be accepted.  You can create a "nickname" if you'd like, and you don't have to reveal your e-mail address.   Feel free to share information and your honest thoughts.

    Categories

    All
    Agenda 21
    Best Available Science
    Big Government
    Eco Activism
    Ethics
    Freedom
    Planning
    Property Rights
    Science
    Small Business
    Social Engineering
    Taxes
    Welcome

    Archives

    January 2022
    September 2020
    August 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    August 2019
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011


    Automatic Updates

    Do you want to be notified when new content is added to this newsfeed? Most browsers allow you to subscribe to our Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed. Click on the RSS link below, and follow the instructions.

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.