Posted on 07/06/2019 8:58:18 AM PDT by Kaslin
A transition to renewable energy sources is a likely scenario if the anti-fossil establishment manages to persuade lawmakers to implement their green energy policies.
Given the high probability, and the transitions already happening in some countries, it is high-time for us to inspect the functional and operational efficiency of renewable sources, especially the highly acclaimed solar installations.
The Renewable Craze
The so called “craze” about renewable energy is a myth. The top users of fossil fuels are still actively generating power from fossil fuel and are also helping other countries to develop fossil fuel technology.
The major reasons for this are the high cost associated with installation and generating power, and the unreliable nature of the power generated.
The sun sends out abundant energy, yet solar energy can be generated only during the daytime, and any high-power consuming system must rely on other sources for energy during the night. The current industry-standard storage technologies are not sufficient to provide backup during the non-generational hours.
Even during the daytime, solar energy cannot meet the demands of densely populated cities. Even worse, they consume a lot of space while generating proportionately less energy than fossil fuels or nuclear.
When it comes to real estate, solar energy is the worst. Nuclear and fossil fuel plants generate the same energy by consuming only a fraction of space that solar consumes.
Despite these practically undesirable aspects, many countries have gone forward and implemented solar at a large scale. Here’s a look at some of these instances where a transition to renewables had resulted in a net irreversible loss.
Solar Failure in Australia and India
Australia saw a spike in domestic solar installations during the past five years. Around 20 percent of Australian homes have installed rooftop solar. But, it came with baggage.
There have been increasing reports of solar installation failures and even proven cases of fire hazard to the homes. Nearly 17 percent of rooftop solar systems were declared “substandard,” and around 3 percent of all installations were deemed unsafe.
Melbourne Fire Brigade has acknowledged that there have been at least 25 fires in the Melbourne metropolitan area in the past five years started by problems with rooftop solar.
A laboratory in Canberra that conducts commercial testing for solar panels said that even some of the trusted brands produced panels that were defective and that it is practically impossible to spot the faulty panels when purchasing.
Observers of the renewable energy market in Australia attribute the failures to the import of poor-quality solar products and the lack of laws requiring strict quality standards.
In Asia, India seems to suffer from similar problems with substandard solar panels. At international climate conferences, India—one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide—has been vocal and proud about its ambitious 100-gigawatt solar capacity target for 2022.
Yet, on the ground, solar’s future is not so encouraging. Raj Prabhu from Mercom Capital Group—an observer of the Indian energy market—said, “Poor quality installations if not brought under control will affect all installers in the country as word spreads among consumers about unviable projects and poor-quality installs that may not last long. … the current scenario in the residential rooftop segment is untenable.”
Clearly, solar transitions are not panning out as planned. The drawbacks and problems mentioned here are just about the issues related to installation and safety. The inefficiency of solar panels to produce reliable electricity is one of the biggest drawbacks.
The other rarely addressed drawback is the environmental hazard associated with the disposal of used solar panels, which is proving to be more and more difficult and harmful to the environment because of the large amounts of toxic, rare-earth metals in them.
A transition to solar is a recipe for disaster. Wise individual house owners will stay away from solar installations, given the overwhelming evidence of their inefficiency, excessive cost, hazardous nature, and spurious sales of substandard materials.
Solar would require clear cutting forests and subordinating farm lands for mirrors ....oh the vanity...
Agreed. I know several people with a solar system, only one is anywhere near happy with their system
Suckers.
“Even the little flashlights & radios...junk.”
Mostly agreed.
I do have a solar lantern for emergencies.
I have noted about 8 hours in the sun will give back only about 2 hours of light.
It has an on/off switch, an important feature. Theoretically the charge is saved when off, but not really.
If it’s charged for a day, then left off for a day, most of the stored energy goes away anyway.
Of course, overcast day means dark night.
A solar panel cannot hurt a bird unless they ram into it at speed.
“The sun sends out abundant energy, yet solar energy can be generated only during the daytime, and any high-power consuming system must rely on other sources for energy during the night. The current industry-standard storage technologies are not sufficient to provide backup during the non-generational hours.”
Now, this makes no sense. Surely a standard installation provides sufficient storage - assuming plenty of sun during the day - to generate power during the night. This fact should be acknowledged - solar does work but there are exceptions and limitations.
This article seems to border on fake news.
Solar panels make sense if you lack access to the grid. With lower energy consumption in home appliances and more efficient panels available it is now a somehow practical solution. Vaccum solar water heaters are practical too nowadays.
The problem is a cost though. This stuff cost much and has relatively short life cycle to be somehow economically reasonable for people who indeed has access to grid.
Seniors with little or no taxable income getting duped that there’s a tax credit available to them to offset the cost. Nope, it’s a nonrefundable credit. No tax, no credit.
Low powered systems, yes. But read closely, they said hig power consuming systems. You can’t run 2nd shift at a steel plant with batteries.
I love mine. Power goes out and I run on batteries. Solar has some draw backs but it has enough plusses for me.
On even partially sunny days I run the house on it. If cloudy and at night, of course, I switch to grid.
BTW I knew when I bought mine I would never get my money back. Got it for peace of mind. Seven years and counting.
NYS is so screwed....
There are some satisfied customers that like their particular installation and it is good to hear first hand experience.
I’m in Phoenix valley and there are more scams, damaged roofs, and power company games going on than I want to be involved with. Concrete tile roofs with light weight felt underlayments are easy to damage and very high temp works against efficiency.
My son-in-law in Tampa is a techno-geek and a natural born deal maker. He put up a top of the line installation on their house as the daughter wanted it. He did not lease it. He paid for it all up front. He spent over 30k and says that now that it has been going for two years he sees an after depreciation break even at 15 years, but they are very smart with taxes as well.
He can afford it either way. He advised me that the heat of Phoenix, despite the lack of clouds, could greatly reduce effiency, output and service life of his top of the line panel if I were to try the same.
Solar panels get hot. They have also started house fires.
Lay a piece of metal in the sun and it will get hotter than a solar panel. If they were wired wrong they might start a fire. Just like any electrical appliance.
Luckily I have 20 230 watt solar panels and I know how to wire them. No problems.
I remember when my city first dropped off recycling bins and shortly thereafter I got my garbage pickup bill - it DOUBLED from previous bills.
That is true. In fact in winter I have had my system shut down because the cold made the panels too efficient. Over voltage. 'Course it was down around zero. But after 30 minutes or so as the sun shifted the system would fire back up.
Solar is a niche product. I have had neighbors when we lived in SC who used solar as an effective supplement to the regular electric grid.
A well constructed and properly installed solar system with a good battery system attached can be useful and pay for itself. RV owners, particularly if they live full time in their rig, can effectively use solar to power their HVAC and other electric systems for a few days to weeks while boondocking or otherwise not hooked up to a power grid.
However, solar’s utility is tied very much to location/climate/weather, and electric consumption. Relatively dry. sunny, areas, and comparatively low electric demands are a lot more amenable to solar than the opposite.
But it is still a niche product, great for some, useful for others, and stupid for a lot of people.
It's main purpose is to keep my wifes oxygen concentrator, and the computer and pumps running in case of a power failure for the solar heating panels that are used for the water heater and in floor heating. If the power goes out in the daytime and the glycol is not pumping thru the panels, the panels hit the 240 degree boil point of the glycol very quickly. Getting the glycol replaced and the plumber costs off my back made the solar generator economically feasible.
The propane generator gets put online if the failure is more than just a short while.
Damn the carbon points and full speed ahead.
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