[ale] Intelligent Power (was global warming) [OT]

[Jim Popovitch]

On Mon, Mar 3, 2008 at 9:06 AM, Jim Lynch <ale_nospam at fayettedigital.com> wrote:
>  That's not what I've read.  Today's voltaic solar panels are running
>  about $3 - $4.50 per watt.  To compete with more conventional power
>  generation methods that number has to come down to $1 per watt.  That's
>  about what it costs for a fossil fueled plant.

Correct.  But it is never viable for a business (and Power is a
business) to simply replace existing infrastructure with a new
infrastructure of equal capabilities and the same operating costs.
There has to be a cost savings, and a benefit, for a business to make
such a drastic change.

On the same thought...  Add up all the land currently occupied by
power companies (plants, mines, operations, equipment, etc.)   Can you
replace all that space with enough solar panels to equal the current
power output?

-Jim P.