[oclug] [OT] Solar / Renewable Power Generation

[David F. Skoll]

On Mon, 12 Aug 2002, Jon Earle wrote:

> Without even
> figuring all the costs for mounting structures, wiring, inverters,
> controllers and anything else I'd need, I think the above would be
> horrifying expensive to build.

I'm sure I read somewhere it takes several years (maybe 10) for solar
cells to generate enough electricity to equal the energy expended to
manufacture them.  (You have to melt silicon to make solar cells, and
that takes lots of heat.)  So I'm not sure solar cells are much good.
Other alternatives (wind, fuel cells, solar energy via water heating
rather than photoelectricity) are probably far more practical.

--
David.