[marktwain]

Your facts are essentially correct, but you have so many unmentioned assumptions that they undercut your premise.

You do not mention, for example, that the cost of solar power is not constant, and in fact, has been dropping like a rock. Solar power has dropped from several hundred dollars an installed peak watt to just a few dollars an installed peak watt today.

In areas of the country where air conditioning is important (such as the Southwest) there is no need for a storage system when the power is hooked into the grid, because peak power usage occurs at about the same time as peak power consumption.

The area required by solar power to power the nation is irrelevant because solar cells on roofs don't take up additional land, and because no one is saying that all power has to come from solar cells.

Finally, this is a case where the market will decide for us. As solar power becomes cheaper, the practical applications will expand, and it will naturally take up whatever percentage of power production that makes sense.

[Boot Hill]

marktwain says:   "Solar power has dropped from several hundred dollars an installed peak watt to just a few dollars an installed peak watt today."

Not so, it only appears that way because of very heavy tax subsidies. Please review "Here is an example:" from the article, then click on the last link near the end of the article.

--Boot Hill

[The Red Zone]

Is photovoltaic even the best way to do air conditioning from solar? Why not thermal driven refrigeration cycles?

[lawdude]

"...because peak power usage occurs at about the same time as peak power consumption."

Aren't those the same thing? Do you mean peak power output occurs...?