sci.energy

On Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:08:47 -0800, Anthony Matonak
wrote:

>Don W wrote:
>...
>> There can only be one logical explanation for solar PV amounting to an
>> insignificant portion of the energy supply.
>...
>> It's because building and installing enough solar PV to make even a minor
>> contribution to the energy supply is a foolish allocation of resources.
>
>It's because solar PV is currently very expensive. Pure and simple.
>
>It has nothing to do with how much energy a solar PV panel produces
>compared to how much it took to make (energy payback period). It
>certainly has nothing to do with how much it cost to produce all the
>PV panels ever made compared to the price of the electricity they
>have all made up to this point in time. (Don Lancasters net energy).
>

THE point is that the energy (carbon-based) involved to produce a PV
is more than the panel will ever deliver back until it dies.

Basically independent of present price if you will...

Please think about the complex and energy expensive production methods
(refinery systems)