Environment & Energy
In reply to the discussion: Who Killed the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR)? [View all]PamW
(1,825 posts)Those DOE projections were made before solar experienced the tremendous price drops, which are expected to continue.
==========================
However, your projections and costs are BEFORE the collapse of Solyndra.
They include subsidies and loans which are NOT going to continue.
The bureaucrats at DOE went against the advice of the scientists at the national labs like myself; and approved the Solyndra deal. The fallout from that blunder cost the job of someone with the rank of Program Director. Another blunder would take out anyone of that rank or lower. Therefore, the lower ranking bureaucrats are not going to be sticking their necks out and opposing the national lab scientists in the future, I suspect.
The national lab scientists, of which I am one; are pretty much in solidarity with which direction we think the USA's energy policy should go. Since the bureaucrats are not going to oppose us over fear of losing their jobs; odds are we scientists are going to get our way in the future.
Besides, we only need to get our way for a couple years or so; and the financial and capital environment will take care of the rest.
Yes - the solar proponents surely torpedoed their own ship, from where I stand.
PamW