PV Gap

Gary Said:

Do you think solar energy is a good idea?

We Answered:

I think solar energy is a good idea...

...but in that specific instance, it's not, because the technology they just installed will be obsolete by 2015.

I agree with r8der... something stinks.

Looks like the taxpayers got swindled again through the organized crime mechanism known as "government"!

Ricardo Said:

solar energy arguments?

We Answered:

solar and wind may make a dent in our dependence on imported fossil fuels, but not much. it will never be able to solve the energy issue. this is where nuc plants come in. solar and wind are not reliable 24/7/365. their energy density is very low. they take huge amounts of land and infrastructure. it requires government subsidies to be competitive.

Virgil Said:

In terms of solar energy output, what does TSI stand for & is it highest during low or high sunspot activity?

We Answered:

TSI is Total Solar Irradiance i.e. the light from the Sun

The measure is Watts per square meter (W/m2) this graphs shows the difference over the last three solar cycles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Solar-…

The average is ~1366.5W/m2 at the peak of the cycle to ~1365.5W/m2 at the low of the cycle, a difference of less than 0.1%