[mythtv-users] [Slightly OT] solar power for all our gadgets

[Brian Wood]

On Tuesday 10 March 2009 12:09:36 Mark Knecht wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 10, 2009 at 10:36 AM, David Brodbeck <gull at gull.us> wrote:
> > Mark Knecht wrote:
> >> That's fine, but one guy won't fix the overall problem and why pay
> >> $40K for a system that eliminates a $1K/year bill? It makes no sense.
> >>
> >> for someone like me in California with very high electricity bills it
> >> *might* get paid off in 10 years, assuming no additional costs, no
> >> system failures, no vandalism.
> >
> > In California it also has another benefit that's perhaps less obvious.
> > California has severe peak demand swings caused by air conditioning loads
> > -- this is one of the reasons for the rolling blackouts they have in the
> > summer.  Solar panels produce the most power precisely when the most air
> > conditioning is required.  This has the potential to smooth out those
> > demand peaks.
>
> For $40K I can put my kid through a couple of years of college and
> suffer the occasional brown out. That's my choice.
>
> But then again I believe all American spent nuclear material should be
> launched into space from Cape Kennedy in Florida directed at the sun.
> If it doesn't work and comes back to Earth the chances of it effecting
> me are zilch. ;-)

I have just one word for that idea: Challenger.

Also, there MUST be less costly alternatives, how about we just fill up the 
Capitol Building, a la Alice's Restaurant?

-- 
beww
beww at beww.org