I have heard the same thing. They claim our climate is not a real deterent.

No, what i'm saying is that we have cheap electricity.

edit: In fact, what I stated earlier I believe is an error....I haven't looked at my electric bill in a long time, but the .10/watt I stated earlier, is more likely .10/kilowatthour. Which means you can turn on a 100 watt light bulb and let it run 10 hours for a dime. Compare that to the solar cost.

My brother installed solar atop his place in San Jose and it paid for itself within three years.

And that's AFTER it was done heating his house, pool, and hot tub. Too bad he had to sell it for a fixer-upper in La Jolla, because I was getting spoiled by the good Dim Sum in SFO and Fenton's in OAK.

Food in SD County kinda blows. Too many hillbilly sailors from Bumfuck, Arkansas.

WA is a better bet for wind turbines, because of the low azimuth of the sun 9 months out of the year and just generally crappier weather.

I'm not opposed to the idea of solar power. The issue is that it takes a 75% subsidy to make it feasible on a large scale. This is based on the Chicago Sun Times article.

Why Is the U.S. Losing the Green Race?

Americans pride themselves on being global leaders in innovation. So why is the nation lagging behind China and Germany on renewable energy?

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/201...le-energy-model

The answer is simple, conservatives hate America.

A fellow on a fly fishing BB who lives near Wenatchee reports that he lives off the grid and uses solar power exclusively. It costs him a lot to be "green" since Chelan PUD is one of the four cheapest electric rates in the US. Even there he says he has been unable to break even on cost because the life span of his storage batteries and some other essential parts required replacement before he could break even. Extremely important, he said, is that anyone thinking of going off the grid needs to be committed to reducing their overall electric consumption by about 90%. He heats with wood in the winter, has solar design for as much shade as possible in the hot summer, etc. He didn't define break even, but if it means equal to the costs from his local utility, it's doubly hard for him since Chelan costs about half what most west side utilities charge.

Sg

Funny how those who oppose solar energy on the basis of government subsidies, also favor nuclear, which is by far the most subsidized form of energy on the planet.
PNW rate payers are still paying for the shuttered WPPS and Trojan nuclear power plants.

No just her...hubby is staying behind with the Goats.

No solar. have an old friend (ex- hippy) that has been installing solar panels for over 20 years. almost 100% are used to offset the cost of a swimming pool or hot tub. I guess it saves $ in the long run...

Hank,

All new energy sources are considerably more expensive per MWH than the existing base. The cheapest of those is coal power - provided you do not factor in any environmental or health costs. I take it coal is your preference for incremental energy additions to utility portfolios? It should be good for your X-ray business.

Sg

Well, my monthly numbers are higher than yours.....so there!

But then I'll include everything. Electric furnace here.....well water (artisian, but use pump).....septic......etc. Electric all the way. When the power goes out I can switch the important stuff over to my gas generator (6KW) and run the well pump, lights, microwave, coffee maker, computers, tv....but not the other 220v stuff. If the power is out long enough, I'll plug in a room heater (I think that has happened only twice in 15 or so years). Running the generator costs about $20/day with today's gas prices.

Typical costs about $100/mo in the Summer, about twice that in the Winter. Solar isn't even a thought for me......that's how far away we are right now. I'll leave the look good to those who need it. Reminds me of the addicts who play Bingo at the Casino...."Oh I won $100!".....unsaid is, "It only took me $500 to do it!"

I have an electrical converter in the garage. It works great converting neocons into liberals but my bills are high.

Up here in Sno Co we had some of the cheapest rates in the nation until GW's pal Kenny Lay and Enron gamed everyone.

I wish some of his investors and employees would have gotten to pull the switch on old Kenny, instead of him going out somewhat peacefully.