Outside the Beltway

Solar Power to be Mainstream in 2025

Steve Verdon · Friday, July 7, 2006 · 8 comments

I have to say, I was a bit surprised by the title of this article that solar power will be mainstream by 2025. The main problem with solar power is that everyday the sun sets and for a significant portion of the day there is no sun.

Still, the article doesn’t shy away from the problems facing solar power.

As a form of energy, solar power is currently at least four times too expensive and it will only become truly mainstream when its dollar to Watt ratio is comparable to other energy sources.

That pretty much sums it up. This will depend on the investment in research, as well as the increases in the cost of non-renewable sources of energy. The article also mentions things like national, international and multi-national co-operation, but I’m not seeing why this is important.

FILED UNDER: Economics and Business, Science & Technology, Solar

About Steve Verdon

Steve has a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and attended graduate school at The George Washington University, leaving school shortly before staring work on his dissertation when his first child was born. He works in the energy industry and prior to that worked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Division of Price Index and Number Research. He joined the staff at OTB in November 2004.

Comments

yetanotherjohn says:

Friday, 7 July 2006 at 18:29

“The article also mentions things like national, international and multi-national co-operation, but IÃ¢??m not seeing why this is important.”

Perhaps the writer envisions solving the night time problem by having solar power around the world sharing the power with all. We can use the old trans atlantic telgraph cables to carry the electricity.Peace, love and unicorn will flourish. So in the words of the poet, don’t harsh her mellow.
Steve Verdon says:

Friday, 7 July 2006 at 18:54

Perhaps the writer envisions solving the night time problem by having solar power around the world sharing the power with all. We can use the old trans atlantic telgraph cables to carry the electricity. Peace, love and unicorn will flourish. So in the words of the poet, donÃ¢??t harsh her mellow.

Ahhh, I hadn’t thought of that.
yetanotherjohn says:

Saturday, 8 July 2006 at 01:17

Steve,

That’s because your not extra scary smart like the writer of the article…and you don’t love unicorns enough.
Steve Verdon says:

Saturday, 8 July 2006 at 03:15

YAJ,

I don’t love unicorns enough…sniff that hurts.
yetanotherjohn says:

Saturday, 8 July 2006 at 12:16

Steve,

If you truly loved unicorns, they would bring you some of their magic solar panel enhancing horse apples. I’m not sure if you are supposed to eat them or smear them while fresh onto the solar panels. But until enough of us love unicorns, solar power will never reach its full potential. That’s why so many liberals like solar power, because they have hearts big enough to love unicorns and get the magic solar power enhancing horse (or would that be unicorn) apples.
Alex Knapp says:

Saturday, 8 July 2006 at 23:42

The main problem with solar power is that everyday the sun sets and for a significant portion of the day there is no sun.

And we can’t store solar energy collected during the day in batteries because…… ?
Rick DeMent says:

Sunday, 9 July 2006 at 10:20

Alex is right, you can store electricity nine ways from Friday, you donÃ¢ï¿½ï¿½t even need batteries. Compressed air, works, so does water, fluid hydraulics, where are all the engineers?
weelz says:

Monday, 10 July 2006 at 02:36

see http://vodkapundit.com/ for more on this.