Just musing on this theme.

I remembered a brilliant documentary called "Who killed the Electric car?" Highly recommended if you can find it!
Then look at the comeback of the electric car in the last few years because some people ARE prepared to invest and don'rt believe in the outdated statistics pedalled by the people with an investment in killing it.

If you watch it, then ask yourself who is killing Solar power?

I'd love to see the same film maker cover this topic. And I'd love some open minds to smash the statistics which they always use based on the already outdated panel technology to 'prove' solar just isn't worth it. Even highly intelligent people seem to swallow this bgackward thinking whole. One of my favourite quotes "Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of the people who are doing it!"

Getting to the power theme, I cannot understand all the objectors to the current 'fracking' exploration. They don't seem to want us to use nuclear power and coal power is out, oil and gas on their way. What do these people expect us to use for energy consumption?

The whole world could be covered in wind turbines and it would not be enough to supply energy needs. I would like just one of them to stand up and make a genuine suggestion as to how to meet energy requirements of the world in the future.

How many would want a Fracking plant, with its associated traffic and industrial development in their backyards. The same applies to solar farms and wind turbines.
We are happy to see others suffer but not us.

Well I have a friend who is a geologist. He says where there is a potential fault line they shouldn't be fracking. That is in Andalucia they shouldn't But there are no faults near Guadalajara. His opinion (not necessarily mine) they should be able to go ahead there.

Here are some objections to solar.

It takes up too much land.
A. If they go ahead with research into using road surfaces. Printable sheets to attach to roof areas Ceramic tiles as collectors for patio areas garden walls etc And what about the acres of rail tracks which could easily power the trains! The underused spaces are already there. No need to add much to that. But if you want to, there are airsource, groundsource and watersource heat collectors. They are all forms of solar power.

It's too expensive
A. Yes it is now. But that's because the money hasn't been invested into making it cheaper because they keep working on old figures. But think how expensive the gigabytes in your hand held computer tablet were just a decade ago.

The sun doesn't produce enough power. Nuclear power is more efficient.

A. Really! Are you trying to tell me that big hot nuclear reactor isn't enough to power this little planet. Actually everything we are currently using is just stored power from the sun in one form or another. We'd just be taking it in a more direct form.

It's unreliable.

There is a point there, but then storage and use of gas, coal oil, hydroelectric, wind etc can fill the gap. Just because it isn't 'on' all the time doesn't make it not potentially the biggest and best source of power...At least in countries like this. Storage technology is improving. But technology only improves with investment. You don't find solutions if you aren't looking for them.

Ih. while I'm on a rant
Why don't we break the Chinese monopolies on producing photovoltaics and create some industry here at the same time. After all the Chinese are buying in the mineral resources to make the panels. Many of them from here It makes no sense!

Even with the (relatively) moderate adoption, solar has become far more efficient in the past few years, and continues to, as more adoption and more research is conducted and economies of scale increase.

It's not there yet, but it will be someday. But to penalise the market demand for any form of renewable energy solely in the interest of tax collection or fear of political repraisals from powerful utility companies is just short-sighted and self-serving.

And considering that nuclear is demonstrably our safest form of mass energy production to date, it's equally stupid to consider halting it. At least until something better comes along.

Because production in Europe is far too expensive. Too many petty regs and we all get paid far more than the rest of the world, work far less, and pay much higher taxes.

Is there even one Hi tech product manufactured in Europe?

I have them in my backyard, near enough anyway and can't really fully express the deep feeling of satisfaction I get from watching those turbine blades whirling around.

No problem either for wildlife which thrives happily in their shadows or for anything or anyone else including horsey folk living more than a mile away who protested and objected like crazy that the turbines would upset their horses.

Now I often see the same ppl out enjoying a ride within meters of the turbine bases themselves.

I had a little argument with our geologist friend (and English student) the other day about wind turbines too. No problem at all for me. I enjoy being paid to argue! He said they're ugly. I pointed out that people probably called windmills ugly and now everyone wants one (not everyone...but you know what I mean ;-)) Then he said they kill birds. I asked him if he'd ever heard of Darwin. Even if they did kill half of one generation of birds, a third of the next a quarter of the next. Pretty soon birds who don't avoid turbines will be as dead as birds that didn't avoid trees, or cars or ate the wrong berries etc etc.

In Portugal on the migration route there are bird watchers who contact the power companies and turbines are swtched off until the birds have left the danger area.
Not much chance of Darwinism in ths case unless the birds can learn to operate a mobile phone.

Just goes to show. Twitchers are too twitchy. About time they got it over with.

One of the turbines here has an artificially created wildfowl pond starting little more than 50 meters from its base.
I pass by or stop off to look at them most days. They seem as happy as pigs in the proverbial and don't take a blind bit of notice of the blades whirling around.
I've not seen or heard of any casualties and get the impression they have enough sense not to fly right into them.

The same arguments re siting are also valid with LTE (almost 4G). In the foreseeable future there is no chance of LTE in most Southern European countries due to no-one wanting sites that are within 200 metres of each other and the uneconomic provision of fibre. Also why buy an I5 or S3/S4 when only half the phone can be utilized???

mm no the aleternator would generate the the electricity needed once the engine was up and running.

The Chinese while not being a democracy are making democratic PV systems. They are making modular units than can be plugged in the grid or used in conjunction with off grid systems. This will cheap panels and innovative charge controllers puts the Chinese at the fore front as the champion of people who want to live sustainable lifestyles. Compare this with the German model which the British have adopted with the unfit FiT (feed in tariffs). The German inverters while well engineered say you MUST be solely connected to the grid or your installation will be unsupported. A lot of German manufacturers like Diehl are tied in with the arms manufacturers and hence big Government. The sun in free. I for one am against handing the state control of this resource which should be for everyone to use as they see fit . Why are the Spanish people not up in arms regarding this unjust and draconian law?