12/23/2015 11:19:15 AM

12/23/2015 11:20:30 AM

there's more to that story about the town rejecting the solar panels. they had several legitimate reasons to put the brakes on solar up there. the media only reported the stupid hilljack's comments.

12/23/2015 11:35:53 AM

what were those legitimate reasons?

12/23/2015 11:40:00 AM

Solar Power requires rare minerals for both obtaining and storing energy as well as a shit ton of real estate.

[Edited on December 23, 2015 at 11:45 AM. Reason : ]

12/23/2015 11:43:46 AM

they had already approved 3 solar projects up there. this fourth one would have completely surrounded the town with solar fields. all they did was reject a rezoning proposal that would've made another solar project possible.

they have a substation in town, so all the solar companies look for large tracts of cleared land as close as possible to the substation.

fuck PV. if you remove the federal and state subsidies, no one would ever build a solar field. the current panels reach end of life before they actually start making you money (unless they are subsidized).

12/23/2015 11:48:13 AM

Yeah and no one would build a natural gas plant either today if there weren't subsidies for it. No one would own a Prius. People would still own slaves if the laws hadn't changed

12/23/2015 11:50:51 AM

Gas shouldn't be subsidized either, but whatever.

Solar is subsidized to the tune of 40%. That's ridiculous. The biggest chunk of that is expiring next year, so all that shit will come to a screeching halt. That's why there's such a mad dash to get them installed. These companies are trying to milk the taxpayer cash cow as hard as they can until the subsidy expires.

12/23/2015 12:03:31 PM

^ this is a good thing if it sends dollars to engineering companies trying to make solar truly efficient and reliable.

This is what government should be doing so we can stay competitive with the rest of the world.

12/23/2015 12:12:54 PM

that's just like, your opinion, man

[Edited on December 23, 2015 at 12:17 PM. Reason : Europe already ended most of their subsidies. When it ends here, they will head to China and Africa]

12/23/2015 12:16:31 PM

^

12/23/2015 12:17:11 PM

yeah all those headlines flying around are complete bullshit

12/23/2015 12:21:00 PM

but it's more fun for the yuppies to sit back and laugh at the hilljacks than it is for them to actually wrap their heads around the true merits of PV and how it has impacted eastern NC.

12/23/2015 12:24:51 PM

Yes, the rejection was based on location, economics, and town preservation. However, the quotes are absolutely real and indicative of the (somewhat legitimate) anxiety about progress and iffy science communication.

Still, OMG THAT WAS THE ACTUAL PREMISE OF THE WEAPON

12/23/2015 12:35:17 PM

The really sad part of the town meeting was when the guy was like, "All the young people will move away" because that's so real and probably unstoppable.

12/23/2015 12:36:41 PM

they've already moved away. we're talking about Roanoke Rapids.

[Edited on December 23, 2015 at 12:48 PM. Reason : adfs]

12/23/2015 12:43:43 PM

Quote :

"this is a good thing if it sends dollars to engineering companies trying to make solar truly efficient and reliable. This is what government should be doing so we can stay competitive with the rest of the world."

Indeed. I agree that PV today isn't efficient enough to pay for itself. However, the subsidies drive demand, which will drive further innovation to get to the point where the technology can stand on its own. The rapid acceleration in efficiency over the past few years is evidence of that, and will only continue to grow.

12/23/2015 1:05:12 PM

lol he's married to a retired science teacher too

12/23/2015 1:14:35 PM

Shit is legit, yo

12/23/2015 2:44:22 PM

Quote :

"The rapid acceleration in efficiency over the past few years is evidence of that, and will only continue to grow."

12/23/2015 3:13:19 PM

*sigh*

Even with the subsidies, it would take me 9-10 years to break even on an investment in solar panels for the home.

And speaking of subsidies, I came very close to using the subsidies for geothermal heating/cooling. After the subsidies, the cost would have been about 9-12k for the replacement of two traditional units. The problem is that the subsidies kick in over time, and I needed 35k upfront to pay for the costs.

Who has 35k to throw down at once.

I've spent a lot of time researching greener energy for my home, but none of it is really economical yet, even with the subsidies, which for the home, run out this year.

12/23/2015 5:30:13 PM

Guess the substitutes aren't what they used to be - message_topic.aspx?topic=482891&page=2#15906372

12/23/2015 5:47:46 PM

Well, I think they haven't really changed. But I called several companies around the triangle and got quotes, and they all were between a 9-12 year return. And who knows how long we'll stay in this house. When selling a house, you definitely won't get what you put into it with solar panels. Also looked at just an installation for a water heater, and same problem, b/c they reduce the subsidies for a smaller installation.

Also, there isn't really enough surface area on our roof facing the correct orientation, which means they'd need to put some panels on the ground. I really wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to panels on the ground.

[Edited on December 23, 2015 at 7:06 PM. Reason : asdfa]

12/23/2015 7:06:10 PM

but what about the deworming agent

12/24/2015 12:00:40 AM

well yeah residential scale energy source it's going to be more expensive than building for utility scale. you wouldn't build a coal powered plant on your property either.

we're still very early in solar energy tech, but it's only going to keep getting better. and the fact that it CAN be distributed is even better as the costs continue to decline

12/24/2015 9:28:38 AM

Without subsidies, the economics don't work out on large scale fields either.

12/24/2015 9:33:33 AM

Has anyone done the calculation to see how much acreage we would need to replace a single nuclear reactor's worth of energy output? I'd hate to see that comparison.

12/24/2015 9:41:59 AM

Duke Energy is wrapping up construction of one of the biggest fields in the state near Warsaw, NC. It covers about 500 acres and produces about 70 megawatts. Shearon Harris has a single reactor and produces about 900 megawatts. Comes out to over 6k acres to replace Harris.

12/24/2015 9:55:07 AM

The thing is, solar is uncontrollable and it ramps up and down very quickly when clouds roll in. You have to keep a pretty high percentage of spinning reserve to prevent voltage sags. A megawatt of solar is not really the same as a megawatt of nuke, coal, or combined cycle, other than the fact that it will run the same number of lightbulbs.

12/24/2015 10:02:24 AM

For perspective, Wake County is about 550k acres.

12/24/2015 10:20:39 AM