Has blazing a trail in solar energy cost California too much?

[XemaSab]

That ray of light you see peeking through all the clouds darkening California's future? That's the sun. More specifically, solar power, in which California is the hands-down national leader.

The state's installed solar generating capacity of about 1.2 gigawatts — the equivalent of two big conventional power plants and enough to fill the electrical demand from nearly 200,000 homes for a year — easily outstrips the next 10 highest-ranked states. It's also the fastest-growing solar market in the country.

So you may not be surprised to learn that California's big utilities are fighting like mad to keep a lid on that growth. The most important battle in that war is scheduled for this week, with California's continued primacy as a solar state hanging in the balance. More than bragging rights are at stake: California's solar industry has created 26,000 jobs, or 1 in 4 solar jobs nationwide, according to a recent study by the UC Berkeley law school. And California's solar generation will have to keep growing if the state is to meet Gov. Jerry Brown's goal of generating 12 gigawatts from clean sources such as solar, wind and fuel cells by 2020.

But one nagging question underlies the state's success thus far: Have we spent too much to get here?

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20120523,0,1359952.column

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I think money spent on rooftop solar is money well spent. Even if it is mostly people who are well-off who are benefiting from this, the socioeconomics are irrelevant. Rich people were early adopters of almost every worthwhile technology, and it was that early investment that took the prices down for everyone else.

[kristopher]

1. Limosine liberals? Really?

You wrote, "I think money spent on rooftop solar is money well spent. So what if it's a limousine-liberal cause, as is alleged in the comments? Rich people were early adopters of almost every worthwhile technology, and it was that early investment that took the prices down for everyone else."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=limousine%20liberal

I'll come back an read the article tomorrow. Your beliefs are a bit much for this hour.

Previously discussed here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112713819

[XemaSab]

2. Are you trying to make it like I don't *actually* support rooftop solar?

Because I totally do, and I think it's worth the high cost.

[JDPriestly]

3. My neighborhood is far from limousine liberal, but we have houses with solar panels. Not as many as

in some other areas, but we have them.

Energy is going to increase in price no matter what we do.

Solar energy is a good investment. Like any investment, we have to be patient to know what the real returns will be on it.

[msongs]

4. dump edison & corporate pirates - only rooftop solar in CA please

every house and building with rooftop solar, no mass power plants. let the corporate hos wither away

[DCKit]

5. Because it would have cost >$10K to run the lines to our family house in the boondocks...

The solar system paid for itself after ten years... and we don't have a monthly bill. Now that solar costs 1/3 what it did then, WTF?

Now, for $20K, I can buy a system 5x bigger, supplying everything I need, before, and without, subsidies. ROI will be seven years, then it's free electricity for another 30.

Yeah, it'll never work.