>
> On Feb 29, 2008, at 11:59 PM, Paul Hutchinson wrote:
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu On Behalf Of James Newton
>> Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 8:01 PM
>>
>> Byron Jeff Sent: Friday, February 29, 2008 15:24
>>> 1) At the efficiency levels that solar converts to electricity,
>>> it takes more energy to create solar panels than they produce.
>>
>> Ahhh... Huh? Could you provide a reference or supporting data for  
>> that
>> assertion? If it takes more energy to make a solar panel than it  
>> will ever
>> produce, wouldn't the cost of the panel exceed the value of the
>> electricity
>> produced? Why would anyone produce a panel if that were the case?  
>> Wouldn't
>> the power to make it cost them more than the panel is worth?
>
> I've never encountered good data that proves or disproves the  
> proposition
> that it takes more energy to make them than they can produce.  
> However, it is
> plausible because of the substantial discounts on electricity  
> prices for
> industry, see:
> http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html
>
> To use California as an example, average residential power costs 14.26
> (Cents per kilowatthour) while industry pays only 9.75. If the  
> manufacturer
> is in another state, like say the Iowa Thin Film Co. now known as
> http://www.powerfilmsolar.com/, they'd only pay 4.45. Also some,  
> possibly
> much, of the energy used in the manufacturing operation will come  
> from less
> expensive fossil fuel sources further lowering the total cost of  
> energy
> (e.g. natural gas fired kilns and ovens).
>
> Whether or not solar panel production uses more energy than the  
> panels will
> produce, the panels certainly allow the transfer of industries cheaper
> energy prices over to residential customers who typically get paid  
> for the
> solar generated power at the residential rate. If you where only  
> paid the
> industrial rate for the power you generate would the payback period  
> exceed
> the life span?

Paul Hutch

Paul , your ideas look really interesting.  I could not follow the  
logic.  Could you summarize it for me ?  I do apologize.
CC

>
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