BP Solar turns profit

[DanS]

I think this is good news. BP Solar has turned a profit for the first time on about $400 million in business. It also is enjoying steady growth in the sector (on the order of 40%).

I did some checking on the cost of solar photovoltaics a couple of months ago and it still doesn't make sense by a long shot for what I would like to use it for, but it's slowly getting there.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

its cuz oil prices are so high. i hope to have a self sustaining home one day, with solar panels providing all electricity. (well that might depend where I live, in the winter it might get too cloudy)

[Riesstiu IV]

I find that burning puppies and kitty cats to help run power generators is a good solution to high oil prices and unhealthy coal power plants.

[JohnT]

Plus it helps solve the "unwanted pets" problem!

[:) Smiley]

Right now the return on investment takes about 30 years in the Bay Area, faster in sunny places, in either case, much faster than putting money in the bank and more reliable than the stock market.

[Az]

Is there any way to store electric energy efficiently these days, to store power created during daytime?

[Riesstiu IV]

What about using spotted owls as batteries?

[Japher]

mmmmmmmm, the smell of burning feathers

[Lawrence of Arabia]

what about places like Mali putting miles and miles of that stuff in the desert. sub saharan africa could power the entire continent, with their 364 sunny days a year.

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
what about places like Mali putting miles and miles of that stuff in the desert. sub saharan africa could power the entire continent, with their 364 sunny days a year.

From what I heard, given current efficiency of the solar cell, they couldn't provide enough power for the world even if the entire planet surface was covered with them. I heard that said long ago, it would be cool if someone looked up the numbers and checked them.

[DRoseDARs]

Actually, PopSci had a figure a few years back that if 100 square miles of Nevadan desert near Las Vegas were covered in solar panels, it would provide for the electricity needs of the entire United States, so it is conceivable that doing that in Mali or elsewhere would be a boon for Africa.

Edit: I believe now that the article stated 1,000 not 100. Trying to find it...

[Lawrence of Arabia]

why doesnt somene do it? environment and govt regulations?

[VetLegion]

Because it isn't true.

[ahasverus]

No because evil men from the oil- and nuclear industry are constantly sabotaging any major plans to make alternative energy sources big buisness

C'mon haven't you seen The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear. A truly spectacular movie based on the lives of the men who fight true crime in this world.

Apperently that also includes dating dead rock'n'roll stars wife, who's daughter subsequent dates popstar who then

Well the rest is history

[Harry Tuttle]

Solar cells cost to much, require a good infrastructure to make them worthwhile, and can be broken to easily. Also transmission lines lose juice per foot. They'd have to be on every rooftop all around the continent.

Coal from Pennsylvania on the other hand...