Posted on 05/21/2008 11:54:25 AM PDT by null and void
Domestic shipments of solar cells fell for the second straight year in fiscal 2007, dropping 22 per cent, even amid strong demand abroad, a Japanese industry group said Tuesday. Data from the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association showed that shipments of cells for household use, which make up 80 per cent of deliveries, slid 25 per cent, contributing to the decline.
* Exports, meanwhile, climbed 16 per cent, with shipments to Europe jumping 24 per cent and those to the U.S. rising 15 per cent.
* In terms of generation capacity, overseas shipments totaled 701,700 kilowatts, 3.3 times domestic deliveries.
I’m still betting on whale oil to make a comeback. The next bio-fuel.
Well if the price of electricity gets up to the 50 cents a kilowatt range it might : ) But you are right, it is a suckers bet.
(Just so you know, I have a PV array on my roof. I’m near the break even point, and prices have dropped in the years since I bought the system)...
Of course, they aren't afraid to use nuclear energy either. Neither are they afraid to disturb the habitat of the Albertan sand flea to partner with Canada on developing tar sands either.
The day may come that they will be refining and sending us petroleum products as well.
How about wind powered sailing ships? They look more majestic than these clunkers powered by diesel.
This article makes no sense without context.
Sales are sliding because people (like me) who have spend small fortunes on them learn that they are crappy things that just don't work, need to be constantly maintained and replacement every five years, won't buy anymore. "Grid" power is cheaper and much less bother.
For all the carbon created manufacturing solar cells, you'd think they'd just build a nuclear reactor instead.
The article says 15% more Americans will learn this this year, and 24% more Europeons will learn this as well.
In other news,Brits have already learned that roof top windmills are equally useless, noisy, and generally a waste of money just like solar cells. If you want to try wind, you need to go big. That means tall towers, which are banned in most rural communities because of the visible eyesores that they become, plus annoying noises they make. (they aren't bad if you live way out in the country though)
Then we both know, It will never work.
The current state of photovoltaic cells is still relatively inefficient, and most probably, the Japanese are looking for something with a much faster payback in terms of energy produced per units of currency spent for the system. How do the photovoltaic cells distribute and store the energy produced? Is there some kind of battery charging system, or does the power from the photovoltaic cells get augmented from the availability of distributed current from the power delivery grid?
Unless the system can make the electric meter spin backward, there is not much hope for the light-energy to electricity future.
I am holding out for bioluminescence.
All that needs to be done is to set the the price to sell a KWH back to the grid higher then what is costs to purchase a KWH from the utility company as they have done in Germany, and you will have every roof in America making electricity. Germany ingenuity coupled with cutting-edge technology, now... Who would have thought of that? Luddites need not reply.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/german-sun-powers-a-revolution/2007/08/10/1186530617828.html
Hate to break it to you, but there already are Japanese owned co's selling Alberta tar sand oil, gas and other products to the USA.
You do know that they need to be installed outside in the sun, right?
Be careful, there are those here on FR that will consider you a witch for even considering using a “green technology” let alone actually installing one on your roof. They will fret about lost opportunity cost of money you have invested and when you tell them you’re at the break even point, they will cover their ears and scream “oil is the only answer”.
My old system works just fine. I'd expand it to the inverter capacity if the "excess" power I generate wasn't -by law- a frickin' GIFT to PG&E
BOTH meaning WHY-OWE-EWE.
I know it will and DOES work.
Japan's housing starts in November (07) plummeted 27.0 percent year on year to 84,252 units, declining for the fifth consecutive month, due to the lingering effects of tougher building regulations introduced June 20, the government said Thursday.
The annual total for 2007 seems set to slip below the 1.1 million mark for the first time in 40 yearswith the figure for January through November amounting...
I don't think you can blame PV's for the fact that they aren't selling in Japan. Who knows what those "tougher building regulations" say.
Who cares? The "fuel" is FREE so what if I only harvest 10% of the FREE energy falling on my roof, hmmmm?
Unless the system can make the electric meter spin backward, there is not much hope for the light-energy to electricity future.
Ummmmmm, MY meter does spin backwards.
I am holding out for bioluminescence.
When you get it to run your TV and microwave, and figure out how to keep it fed, let me know.
Don't I know it!
Fortunately, I have friends who really are witches, so the term isn't as pejorative to me as it would be to most...
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