[ale] Intelligent Power (was global warming) [OT]

[Dylan Northrup]

A long time ago, (03.03.08), in a galaxy far, far away, tom wrote:

:=Also, solar will never give sufficient value until a good way to store 
:=energy cheaply on a huge scale becomes well known and tested. (I want to 
:=see a large scale test of carbon fiber flywheels. We know how to build 
:=megawatt scale devices with a life expectancy of several decades.)

Right now, the way to effeciently 'store' electiricity is to sell it to the
power company.  Then you buy it back when you need it.  The main problem
with solar right now is the costs of manufacturing and the rate of return on
investment.  Until it gets to a three year return on investment, it's going
to be out of the 'no-brainer' category of doing it.  You also have to worry
about replacing the panels if they get damaged and doing maintenance on the
system when/if necessary which is something you don't need to do with the
standard power grid.  There's a cost for convenience that most are willing
to pay (presuming it's not exhorbitant and attention is not brought to it).

-- 
Dylan Northrup - docx at io.com - http://www.io.com/~docx/
"Harder to work, harder to strive, hard to be glad to be alive, but it's
 really worth it if you give it a try." -- Cowboy Mouth, 'Easy'