http://www.ted.com/talks/james_hansen_why_i_must_speak_out_about_climate_change.html
I'm buying solar panels....
bigbit
I'm buying solar panels....
bigbit
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Me too... I only fear that it's too little, too late. On the other hand, when it becomes very painfully obvious that climate change is real, human ingenuity will really kick in to solve the problem. I just hope we get our act together before it's too late....
dhrivnak
Active Member
Solar panels are on order and an electric car is in the garage. By careful planning we should be reducing our carbon footprint 62% over 2010 levels at our home and 55% below the average US family. This I am afraid is for real and I want to be part of the solution not part of the problem.
roblab
Active Member
And human business will complain, and the human consumer will complain, about increased costs, and vote down any change. Human ingenuity doesn't stand a chance.
There's not one in a thousand who will hear this message, nor care.
PeterW
Member
Maybe you are right, but that is not going to stop me from putting this message out there. Linked to facebook and Twitter.
Rla
Member
The question is always too little, too late for who?
In the scope of nature's time and dimensions, we are infinitely small. So while perhaps humans and earth will be extinct/destroyed, all the rest of it [the universe] will continue on, for some billions years longer.
so the question remains... do we do something ourselves, or just let nature and the universe do its thing?
I'm active, as are most of you, or you would not be reading this, and the number of people on this planet agreeing that we need to do something is growing daily. Some of them are still passive, use your own passion (whichever it is) to activate those other people.
I notice myself talking about (and promoting) my efforts to other people every chance I get, without getting over zealous.
I believe it helps, I believe.
davecolene0606
Member
Hi everyone, just watched and I get it.
The rising insanity that scares me is that with all these "new" fossil fuel finds it will again quell any sense of urgency to act. I remember in 1981 reading a Nat Geo article on shale oil, there was a push then to utilize it that resulted in multiple "ghost" towns after the gov funding dried up and the oil companies poo pooed it as to expensive and not worth it. Well, here we are 30 years later and now it's "the future" !?. Really!?
So, 5 years ago this June, we decided enough was enough and installed. 6 kilowatt Solar (PV) array on our FL home (2100sq ft under HVAC). We spent $10.00 per watt or $60k to install the PV and another 1.5k for Solar water heating. We got back $22.5k in state and fed incentives so, 39k out,of pocket. Same system now, 24k BEFORE any incentives.
Since install, we have produced 58 megawatts of electricity which at FL prices ($.115 pr KWH) comes to $6,670 of electricity. Lets say we had an annuity and wanted the same return after taxes. the return would have to be about 4.27% and if we did the same today, the return would be 6.94%. Any body know where you can get that with 0 risk and it escalates as electricity prices rise?
Now add in running your car off of that electricity and the return heads into double digits when you figure in Kwh Pr mile vs gasoline.
Last month, we ran our cars 2 Model S's (3123miles) and our entire house (88degree days, no special insulation and AC @ 78degrees during the day and 74 @ night) for $168.00 yup $168.00.
We are adding another 1000watts to our roof (no more space) shortly to boost for the cars. This is a NO BRAINER! Solar is completely viable and if your are a retiree (or about to) on a fixed income, even more so! Think about it, you have insulated yourself from energy inflation, nobody can tax you for money you don't spend... ever and no market down turn can destroy your principle and no broker can churn your account till you have no returns! It is the ultimate in your face independence move with the side benefits of leaving a BETTER world for our kids (remember the "greatest" generation?) what a legacy to leave and... your "I support our troops" bumper sticker has truth behind it. Don't want that nuclear fusion plant in your back yard? Don't want be complicit in a ludicrous Carbon experiment?
Get a Tesla, Get Solar... and live on FUSION power from the sun!
end of rant
The rising insanity that scares me is that with all these "new" fossil fuel finds it will again quell any sense of urgency to act. I remember in 1981 reading a Nat Geo article on shale oil, there was a push then to utilize it that resulted in multiple "ghost" towns after the gov funding dried up and the oil companies poo pooed it as to expensive and not worth it. Well, here we are 30 years later and now it's "the future" !?. Really!?
So, 5 years ago this June, we decided enough was enough and installed. 6 kilowatt Solar (PV) array on our FL home (2100sq ft under HVAC). We spent $10.00 per watt or $60k to install the PV and another 1.5k for Solar water heating. We got back $22.5k in state and fed incentives so, 39k out,of pocket. Same system now, 24k BEFORE any incentives.
Since install, we have produced 58 megawatts of electricity which at FL prices ($.115 pr KWH) comes to $6,670 of electricity. Lets say we had an annuity and wanted the same return after taxes. the return would have to be about 4.27% and if we did the same today, the return would be 6.94%. Any body know where you can get that with 0 risk and it escalates as electricity prices rise?
Now add in running your car off of that electricity and the return heads into double digits when you figure in Kwh Pr mile vs gasoline.
Last month, we ran our cars 2 Model S's (3123miles) and our entire house (88degree days, no special insulation and AC @ 78degrees during the day and 74 @ night) for $168.00 yup $168.00.
We are adding another 1000watts to our roof (no more space) shortly to boost for the cars. This is a NO BRAINER! Solar is completely viable and if your are a retiree (or about to) on a fixed income, even more so! Think about it, you have insulated yourself from energy inflation, nobody can tax you for money you don't spend... ever and no market down turn can destroy your principle and no broker can churn your account till you have no returns! It is the ultimate in your face independence move with the side benefits of leaving a BETTER world for our kids (remember the "greatest" generation?) what a legacy to leave and... your "I support our troops" bumper sticker has truth behind it. Don't want that nuclear fusion plant in your back yard? Don't want be complicit in a ludicrous Carbon experiment?
Get a Tesla, Get Solar... and live on FUSION power from the sun!
end of rant
Johan
Ex got M3 in the divorce, waiting for EU Model Y!
I would call up Georgia Power on this one (assuming you are a customer). The Georgia PSC just voted to expand Georgia Power's solar program. I have been in some talks with them. They will pay a premium for your solar if you are in their program, and then resell it as green energy to other people. Georgia Power has been at their previous limit allowed and therefore wouldn't guarantee placement in the program. With this expansion I expect them to be able to do so.
The economics still don't quite make sense on their own in Georgia (rates are really low). But if you are going into it with a long view (10 year payback), or for altruistic reasons, it can make sense. And now that you can get into their premium pay for solar plan, it might make economic sense and payback in a 3-5 years.
I also have a lot of tree cover on my roof, making my costs higher (or energy production lower) than I would like.
artsci
Sponsor
Yes the planet will survive just fine. It's we humans that are on a certain path to our own self-extinction, aided and abetted by many of our so-called "leaders." Leaders for sure -- we'll follow the Koch brothers and all of the other climate change deniers right off the cliff.
Other life forms will succeed us -- after all it is the history of our planet. Perhaps we'll see a Koch-like head on a reptile. Come to think of it, the brothers do have a slight resemblance to lizards
Thanks Nick! I had assumed that GA Power expansion was required to be done as a commercial solar expansion (not customer rooftop.)
You can bet I'll be all over this one! I have a bit too many trees too, but I think I have enough unobstructed space for a decent 5kw system, which should cover almost all of my charging...
Johann Koeber
Happy Owner
<thortsMD wrote:
The way to bring business and the public to the point where they start demanding change is to make it profitable. Solar panel sales/production are nearing that inflection point. Tesla has already made a profit. If you make a profit, they will come.>
Exactly right.
And the early adopters are paving and paying the way ....
The way to bring business and the public to the point where they start demanding change is to make it profitable. Solar panel sales/production are nearing that inflection point. Tesla has already made a profit. If you make a profit, they will come.>
Exactly right.
And the early adopters are paving and paying the way ....
Can only add to this point: profitability is key.
* Back in 2005, my wife created a spreadsheet that showed a nice ROI for a 5kW rooftop PV array, thanks to the generous German feed-in tariffs.
* even my parents now consider going solar (they are in their 80ies) in order to cut electricity costs
* my parents in law, however, are opposing plans to build a wind farm in their back yard. They consider to join a group of concerned citizens, that list negative impacts on the environment like noise, shadow, deforestation, construction work, and killed birds. I assume these concerns would go away the very moment that they all could benefit from the financial outcome.
* Back in 2005, my wife created a spreadsheet that showed a nice ROI for a 5kW rooftop PV array, thanks to the generous German feed-in tariffs.
* even my parents now consider going solar (they are in their 80ies) in order to cut electricity costs
* my parents in law, however, are opposing plans to build a wind farm in their back yard. They consider to join a group of concerned citizens, that list negative impacts on the environment like noise, shadow, deforestation, construction work, and killed birds. I assume these concerns would go away the very moment that they all could benefit from the financial outcome.
Raffy.Roma
Rome (Italy)
I would like to report the following table:
According to the USA Energy Information Administration, global primary energy consumption for the year 2006 was made up as follows:
Close to 87 percent of the world’s energy came from fossil fuels for a total of about 14 terawatts.
As it can be seen the so called renewable energies (geotermal, wind and solar energy) in 2006 contributed to almost 1% of global energy consumption. So I think that everybody should contribute in any way (even advertising this matter to relatives and friends as Volker did) to raise this percentage and decrease the percentage of contribution of fossil fuels which is really too high (87 %).
According to the USA Energy Information Administration, global primary energy consumption for the year 2006 was made up as follows:
Fuel type | Average power in TW | Percent | |
| Oil | 5.74 | 36.54% | |
| Gas | 3.61 | 22.98% | |
| Coal | 4.27 | 27.18% | |
| Hydroelectric | 1 | 6.37% | |
| Nuclear power | 0.93 | 5.92% | |
| Geothermal, wind, solar energy, wood | 0.16 | 1.02% | |
| Total | 15.71 | 100.00% |
As it can be seen the so called renewable energies (geotermal, wind and solar energy) in 2006 contributed to almost 1% of global energy consumption. So I think that everybody should contribute in any way (even advertising this matter to relatives and friends as Volker did) to raise this percentage and decrease the percentage of contribution of fossil fuels which is really too high (87 %).
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