If your trying to save money, go off-grid then I say go for it, invest in some solar panels. If your trying to reduce your carbon footprint because you think the earth is warming from fossil fuel CO2 emissions then please listen, DON’T believe the HYPE!
As an example to make my point….Vermonter Bill McKibben was recently quoted in Salon Magazine:
“The roof of my house is covered in solar panels. When I’m home, I’m a pretty green fellow. But I know that that’s not actually going to solve the problem.”
Why would an avid solar panel consumer say such a thing? If you do the math it starts to make a whole lot of sense why him and many others are very clear in just how much solar helps in reducing CO2 emissions and at what cost.
The common buzzword is “sustainability” but if ever there was something that was unsustainable it is in the idea that all residential homes will one day have solar panels on their roofs or receive solar power via solar farms.
In reality the idea is feasible only if you can convince the tax payer and politician to continuously subsidize solar at a cost of $155,000 per ton of CO2 or in clearer terms, the equivalent of paying $2.00 for every teaspoon of gasoline you put in your cars gas tank. The math on this can be found at this article
Based on this kind of cost solar hasn’t a prayer in being a contributor at any large degree in meaningfully reducing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, ever!
“Bill McKibben’s solar panels in Vermont are indeed avoiding CO2 emissions in Vermont (one of the data points at the far right side of Figure 1), at a cost of around $155,000 per ton CO2. This is equivalent to paying a carbon tax of $2.00 for one teaspoon of gasoline.”
So where have people found the best answer for reducing CO2 emissions? Experts agree that natural gas offers the cleanest fossil fuel option and best bang for the buck in lowering CO2 emissions. Using natural gas and increasing efficiency is mankind’s best option until we perfect fusion, miniature nuclear power and these other more cost effective approaches to clean energy.
It’s an opportunity cost decision, a tax of the equivalent of $2 a teaspoon of gasoline should be rejected by any sane politician or consumer in America. There are better options to reduce CO2 than solar panels.
In summary, man-made CO2 isn’t having any measurably dangerous warming effect on the planet. The push to tax CO2 is a UN agenda 21 mandate that seeks to use environmental issues to bring in socialism into all countries across the globe. You will hear the word “sustainability” being promoted more often and things like solar panels and wind mills are simply greasing the wheels and wills of public opinion to fall in favor with this environmental propaganda.
You can read more about this topic here: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/10/21/do-the-math-solar-panels-and-hockey-sticks/
