Lynne Kiesling
This Wired magazine article from July discusses Idealab/Internet impresario Bill Gross’s foray into rooftop solar power innovation. The article does a nice job of discussing the cost disadvantages of solar, some of the infrastructure cost savings from on-site solar that mitigate some of those cost disadvantages, government subsidies, etc.
The Wired article does an OK job of discussing solar, but manages to bury in one half sentence the little fact that the sun doesn’t shine all the time. For solar (or wind) to *really* replace fossil fuel and nuclear, the US needs a way to store several days worth of electricity. And there ain’t one. The only possibility is running hydropower intermittently and there isn’t anywhere near enough.
Hybrid is rapidly becoming a brand in the minds of the mainstream consumer thanks to some very sophisticated vehicles. I hope that the home based solar technology industry embraces this opportunity in three ways:
– ROI
– Ease of use
– Attractive and smaller components
In that order
Why aren?t hybrid power sources embraced by property developers? In Arizona solar power does not sell homes, and why not? Years ago golf courses sold homes in Arizona. After a few hundred golf courses were developed around Phoenix, school construction now attracts new home owners. Change the mindset where the sun shines, tie the hybrid movement to the grid, and like *Napster* you have a new player in the power game – the people.
Ok, not that simple, but why not….?
Go Mr. Gross, go!
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