Comments on: Ontario Solar Power could match US Nuclear Power

By: Jim Lindsey

Jim Lindsey — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:04:35 +0000

Several “know it alls” should dig much deeper in analyzing actual costs.

California Solar Center recently stated, “In the United States alone, solar swimming pools have produced the energy output equivalent to running ten nuclear plants.”

Can “Solar Man”or anyone else totally evaluated all the expenses that are involved in nuclear energy? I have no idea what it costs to store the nuclear waste for hundreds of years. Does anyone, or does it matter that future generations will absorb yet another cost from our foolishness?

I have a vague idea of the price to build a nuclear plant but feel sure the price of nuclear fuel is not cheap and know it will increase.

Most everything comes down to dollars and cents but doesn’t independence from power brokers, safty from human error, or terrorists attacks play any part?

I believe 15 to 20,000 solar water heaters would replace one nuclear plant. I love PV but let’s not forget the tried and true thermal energy, with it’s built in storage.

Jim Lindsey–Solar Pioneer

By: Brad

Brad — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:23:30 +0000

Hey Solar Man – Are you kidding??? Why the name Solar Man? Solar is the cheapest way to produce electricity we have. Aside from the initial purchase of equipment it demands almost no other expense. Minimal maintenance, security, no shipping, no storage – individuals or companies can produce it. As it becomes even cheaper to buy solar panels and reflectors many people could convert part or all of their energy needs to their own solar based power plant to run DC appliances. No war, no pollution, no trade deficit, no taxes, no executive bonuses and corporate chicanery, etc.

By: Solar Man

Solar Man — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:15:29 +0000

So much time, so much nonsense. Solar is by FAR, the most expensive way to make energy and yet, the “greenies” are pushing it as a solution. What will happen to all the people who can’t afford the rising rates? Are we going to let old people die because they can’t afford their air conditioner costs?

Basically, greenies don’t care about anyone but their agenda.

By: ryan

ryan — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:39:15 +0000

I think solar power should only really be used for individual use. So much power is lost in the grid (over half) that it is more practical. Secondly when you are gone at day using no energy the electricity made from your panels can be thrown into the grid and bought by the electric companies. Then at night when your home using electricity you take energy out of the grid and you pay the electric company. Peak hours of electricity usage are during the day anyways. This will help electric companies deal with such high fluctuation on energy demand.

By: Jim Van Damme

Jim Van Damme — Mon, 24 May 2010 11:04:22 +0000

Yeah. but it’s not cost effective. So what??

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:31:34 +0000

Ontario is a poor choice for Solar Power projects, as they receive very small amounts of solar energy on an annual basis. This is also true for Germany, that has the largest installed base of Solar Power generating facilities. These types of Northern Solar Power projects in areas of heavy cloud cover are the result of wishful thinking, instead of a reasoned scientific approach. The best places in North America are in the desert southwest, the Southeast and Mexico. The best places in Europe are in Spain, Portugal and Italy. Use of maps showing Annual Solar Radiation would prevent these ill advised investments.

By: styke

styke — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:53:04 +0000

Reading many of the comments, I see a common thread about solar only during the day. With adequate energy storage, this is not a problem. Maybe this site needs a new section on energy storage news. I would like to read about progress in that area.

By: Richard Fletcher

Richard Fletcher — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 01:24:53 +0000

I agree that is a problem, so unless individuals buy batteries for storage of the solar energy, here it would likely be forced to depend on nuclear power as that baseload source of power. But, cheer up, TerraPower has an idea of using depleted uranium as a source of energy in a new reactor. TerraPower is a spinoff of the Intelligent Ventures Lab.

By: gary bannister

gary bannister — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:27:27 +0000

Civil authorities should get on board Now AND Later with even more and cheaper solar paraphernalia. All the fossil energy shills like to cast doubt and fear, when there is no problems that even come close to our fossil fuel eventualities. OOOoooh! No sun at night! So get some windmills, some thermal wind towers and some thermovoltaics. Even 80% of your electricity from wind and solar is better than waiting another 3 decades for OIL WAR dividends.

By: Jacqui Cooper

Jacqui Cooper — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:05:58 +0000

I love the idea of solar power but I’d really love to see a decent solar powered car, not some strange design the the general public won’t touch but something that looks like a car and drives like a car.

Maybe these guys can come up with something because until a car is made that looks just like any other car the general public won’t buy and surely that’s what we need?

By: styke

styke — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:00:36 +0000

“civil authorities” can decide what they want, of course, but they won’t agree, and the whole thing will muddle along with a bunch of half-baked projects which end up showing that civil authorities don’t know how to run power stations.

But people can put solar on their roof whenever they want to.

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:55:39 +0000

At some stage the civil authorities have to decide if they are better off waiting for new solar technology to arrive or go with what is available right now.

If you have been following the articles on this site you will know that there are a lot of solutions which are on the drawing board which could revolutionize the economics of solar power. So if you were to invest today you could be making a big mistake. With wind power the transformation is much less risky unless someone were to build a better windmill.

Building such a high reliance on solar is risky, if for some reason the sun were obscured by increased cloud cover or volcanic activity standby capacity would have to be built and maintained to take up the slack.

I do think solar should play a much larger part and if individuals want to put efficient new up and coming solar solutions on their roofs and properties they should be able to do so.

By: Evelyn Schuler

Evelyn Schuler — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:23:59 +0000

So glad to hear that Solar Power is about to come on board, to save us all. Fossil Fuels are producing so much Toxin, from their by-products {plastic etc.} that soon all our males will be females. Lets get rid of Fossil Fuels and all their chemicals and pollution, as soon as possible.

By: amoline

amoline — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:55:55 +0000

The cost of solar continuous to decline as more and more companies are getting in on the race. This presents two things from the viewpoint of the consumer: one that a competitive market can decrease installation costs; and two that the boom in the market can mean more jobs. The renewable energy boom has HUGE economic potential. The United States would be wise to aggressively pursue and streamline the measures to change the way this country uses it’s own domestic resources.

By: Jim Jonas

Jim Jonas — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:21:51 +0000

The United States of America needs a scolding on procrastination for we can do our own Energy Solar power fuel cells. Let us congratulate Canada and get to work U.S.

By: Mike Maybury

Mike Maybury — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:13:03 +0000

Locally generated energy is the ideal, and should be encouraged and demanded from everyone who wants to see a greener world.

By: joelsk44039

joelsk44039 — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:08:41 +0000

Only problem is that solar power isn’t “baseload.” It can only be produced when there is enough sunlight, and, obviously, not at night. What of days when the sun doesn’t shine? What of long winter nights? What of slow oxidation of the silicon glass overlay that reduces solar efficiency over time?

And lastly, who pays the “…set price for solar energy far above market rates…?” Answer: the end user.

Solar isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be!!

By: greenorbz

greenorbz — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:15:39 +0000

I think Ontario has great potential and is surely on its way to becoming a hub for solar power.

“In 2007 the Ontario Power Authority signed 145 contracts for the future construction of more than 250 megawatts (MW) of solar power systems, far more than the agency initially projected. Each megawatt can power about 350 homes.”

Ontario’s “standard offer” program, which pays small power producers a set price for solar energy far above market rates, is similar to the incentive program that turned Germany into the world’s biggest producer of energy from the sun.