Wow... the resurrection of an old thread. There are several companies working on new (and much cheaper) methods of producing the materials to manufacture solar cells. The methods are proven and at least one plant has been built (right here in Moses Lake, as a matter of fact); more are being designed. I believe that widely distributed solar generation is the key to at least the power problem. Get enough panels so that every rooftop in the world produces a couple of kw of electrical power during daylight hours and you remove the problems with darkness, clouds, etc. This will drastically reduce the need for new power plants, at least. Needless to say, the utility companies will do everything they can - including spreading false information - to defeat this. The major problem in the USA is that political will is diluted by the need to collect money for re-election. If we could just overcome *that* hurdle we might actually make some real progress. Hence the Craig Jungers term-limits program: If you're in office, I vote against you. After six or seven cycles we can re-think the situation. By that time we might have politicians in office that will listen to the voters and not the lobbyists. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sun Oct 18 2009 - 21:26:28 PDT
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