sOLAR PANEL REALITY

[seldomseen]

I saw pictures of solar panels covered with snow but with the sun as low as it is here during the winter months the panels would have to be standing almost vertical so snow would never stay on them.

[oneoff]

Our present Sask consumer electrical costs are substantial. Those costs will rise astronomically no matter what portion of the supply mix comes from solar. And its debatable whether cheap solar panels are a fair assessment of the total costs of going "solar" for electricity.

If that is not true; then show me the instances of solar innovators who will admit that their investment (after accounting for any distorting subsidies that have come out of other people's pockets; and taking into account their preferential access and being paid even when their production isn't really required by an electrical system that can't even count on their name plate output ) actually is any cheaper than a comparable alternate energy supply.

I know for a fact that even if natural gas were available for free; that your generator running 8760 hours per year (or an adequate battery reserve for all uses we utilize a grid power supply) would never be actually free and probably not a competitive economic alternative. If its economics that drives business (and that's a measure of surviving in business and against other countries competitors) then survival is pretty important.) . That most likely applies to "free" energy from the sun; if such producers were totally honest

You may argue with even with a statement like "You'd be the first applicant to successfully operate an independent power producer flare gas cogeneration project. in Sask of less than 100KW generating capacity gas."


But you'd find that to be true (at least less than 2 years ago) if you asked Sask Power . And that fact would certain remain true into the future as the application process has been put on hold until further notice. You pursue projects such as mentioned; and you will be left with no answers to some important concerns...and at end of the month or year or decade could still be waiting for the first economically successful project.


But things also happen for other than pure economic motives. A fact that will no doubt be lost in anticipated replies.
I assure you there's a whole lot more to green energy than what some reporter (or manufacturer) publishes as a well laid out advertisement or news release.

[Hamloc]

Interesting to note the largest solar farm in California is the Topaz solar farm. Completed in 2014. 550 MW. Construction cost was $2.4 billion. Operated at 24.4% efficiency in 2014-2015. If you look at the solar power efficiency map for North America you will see we only have roughly 62% of the potential production efficiency in central Alberta when compared to California, so an equivelent installation in central Alberta would only produce at 15.12% efficiency and would probably cost more than one in the USA for the simple reason that it always does cost more in Canada due to tariffs and taxes. Also interesting to note how much cheaper it is to build in India. So all the cut and pastes about how cheap solar is in say Mexico or India really don't apply in Canada. Higher constructions cost, lower efficiency of production, just the way it is.

[tweety]

Example 4021 of gubmints wasting tax dollars.

[URL="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/solar-self-sufficiency-not-feasible-1.4427770"]http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/solar-self-sufficiency-not-feasible-1.4427770[/URL]

I'm all for solar panels and batteries when you spend your own money on them. Go for it!

But for gubmints to incinerate hard working people's tax dollars on them is insane at this point in time.

So you good with spending billions of tax dollars on non renewable oil, gas, and coal?

Article brought to you by the same people who think glyphosate causes cancer.

[oneoff]

And the same tunnel vision and refusal to entertain thoughts about any of the flaws in facts and reasoning that are conveniently ignored or downplayed.

[oneoff]

Here's just a "minor" correction about 1.7 cent/KWH green power from solar sources....\\\ Maybe promoters would like to confirm or deny this foot note I just ran across. Whoops!!!!


Corrections

A previous version of this story quoted sources describing the new low price as being from solar energy. We've since determined that new low price was actually from wind.
Nov 27, 2017 2:33 PM ET

[RWT101]

So you good with spending billions of tax dollars on non renewable oil, gas, and coal?

Article brought to you by the same people who think glyphosate causes cancer.

Can you understand the graph in this article?

[URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/16/canada-exports-manufacturing_n_4283794.html"]http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/16/canada-exports-manufacturing_n_4283794.html[/URL]

And you want to destroy Canada's energy sector for exactly what reason?

[oneoff]

The chart above was from data previous to Nov 2013.

Maybe the chart has been fixed by the oil price crash since that time. Also maybe selling raw product at firesale prices doesn't fix real economic problems.

Usually that has something to do with losing money on every unit sold...so you try to double units sold to become profitable and find out that balance sheet still gives at least double previous losses.

[tweety]

Can you understand the graph in this article?

[URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/16/canada-exports-manufacturing_n_4283794.html"]http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/16/canada-exports-manufacturing_n_4283794.html[/URL]

And you want to destroy Canada's energy sector for exactly what reason?

Will canada's energy sector be destroyed if it doesn't receive billions in tax dollars, but it rather instead go to upstart renewable energy industries?

I'm not suggesting more tax dollars, i'm saying stop giving it to filthy rich oil companies and instead to renewables.

So you're good with giving tax dollars to millionaire/billionaire oil company CEO's and upper management who don't even live in Canada and not renewable?

[bucket]

What I don't uderstand about either solar or oil is why it's all subsidized.....federated coop was subsidized. ....solar farms need help or run by the state....


Meanwhile real wealth creators like us farmers are shit on.....

If you did a proportional look at subsidies to any other industry and compared to primary agriculture...the other industries get 1000s of time more money compared to the size and scope of ag. ...


Bombardier itself has received more money than farmers collectively....and then they create a trade irritant by selling below the cost of production with no ROI to the taxpayer....

Meanwhile back at the farm let's look at who we support

1. Fertilizer
2. Chemical
3. Seed
4. Fuel
5. Manufacturers
6. Railways
7. Grain cos


All on our backs....some pretty impressive blue chips....most who already receive government support to prop up their profits....and some isn't monetary just policy that allows them to make money....

Off topic I know but nothing gets built without government it seems...

[Hamloc]

Top ten exports 2016 Canada (in usd)

1 Vehicles. $64.3 billion(16.5%)
2 Mineral fuels including oil $62.3 billion(16%)
3 Machinery including computers $30 billion(7.7%)
4 Gems, precious metals. $18.7 billion(4.8%)
5 Wood. $13.2 billion(3.4%)
6 Electrical machinery equipment $12.6 billion(3.2%)
7 Plastics, plastic articles. $12.1 billion(3.1%)
8 Aircraft, spacecraft. $10.3 billion(2.6%)
9 Pharmaceuticals. $8.4 billion(2.2%)
10 Aluminum. $8.1 billion(2.1%)

[sumdumguy]

Top ten exports 2016 Canada (in usd)

1 Vehicles. $64.3 billion(16.5%)
2 Mineral fuels including oil $62.3 billion(16%)
3 Machinery including computers $30 billion(7.7%)
4 Gems, precious metals. $18.7 billion(4.8%)
5 Wood. $13.2 billion(3.4%)
6 Electrical machinery equipment $12.6 billion(3.2%)
7 Plastics, plastic articles. $12.1 billion(3.1%)
8 Aircraft, spacecraft. $10.3 billion(2.6%)
9 Pharmaceuticals. $8.4 billion(2.2%)
10 Aluminum. $8.1 billion(2.1%)

When I look at that list, I see US trade written all over most of the exports. NAFTA ( or trade with US anyway) is the fuel in the Canadian engine. Our federal government better be protecting that relationship with all their mite, not snubbing it.