Whatever

FIFY

 

It's not that bad
-20F and worse are bad

 

And the latitude, the clouds, the average humidity (water vapor is good at blocking solar radiation), and snow in the Winter...

This makes no sense economically without subsidies and the behind the scenes jiggery-pokery pushing this stuff.
When all that goes away, and the panels wear out (they have a lifespan during which efficiency steadily declines)...
... it's a derelict project.
Taxpayers gonna get stuck with clearing it away.
Of that I'm convinced.


Story Time with Gritto

Some of you may remember that Mrs Gritto (science teacher now retired) scored a private tour of the solar panel factory in Frederick, MD, 20 odd years ago.
I forget the name and can't find it now, maybe BP Solar?
It only survived on subsidies and closed when those were withdrawn and China ramped up their production.
One odd thing about it was that the production workers were Chinese.
I'm not kidding, there was some sort of deal going on between that pilot plant and China.

Anyway, I tagged along and asked the (American) production engineer some pointed questions.
Like how much electrical energy input was required for the crucible used to melt the big ass blocks of silicon they had on pallets.
(Leaving aside the energy required to refine those.)
Those silicon blocks came from China, BTW.
Defect rates, overall how many panels per block of silicon...
And most particularly... how much energy a panel could produce over its estimated lifespan.

He knew what I was getting at and never really answered, giving me the old fuzz-dazzle.

Mind you, I'm no engineer, but I've been skeptical ever since.
No doubt solar panels are useful in some situations.
In the Southwest, for example, their efficiency will be best.
Not in upstate New York, and not for base load on the grid.

 

The cold front passed through here a few hours ago.
It's wonderful.

 

Jealous...

 

That's creepy !

 

Didn't think you could find something even more creepy. I was wrong

 

@duckfan
@sock66

 

Gnite bedwetters

 

That could always be a substitute name for this thread if needed. Just sayin...

 

Empty oil cans in mine

 

Better?

 

Yep, still creepy

 

Hunnert

 

Whudja do wif it

 

The chair. It’s on my junk pile. Got to go to the dump at some point