How much longer?

Martin Hotze wrote:
gatt schrieb:
Germany has turned solar-cell development into a national project
similar to (...)

uhm, I wouldn't call it a national project, but it is recognised as a
serious industry.

Thanks for the correction. Still, it's better then what the entire
United States of America has developed to date. Was a time when
Americans looked at what Germany did and said "We can do it better."

Now they look at what Germany is doing and say "Well, good for them."

Daimler recently bought Freightliner. According to a friend there, all
Daimler managers will be receiving a new Mercedes. Either they're
crushing US vehicle makers or they're crazy. ('Course, they're Germans
so it could go either way. ; )

-c

On 2008-04-08, Jay Honeck wrote:
Back during the LAST "energy crisis" in the 1970s, solar collectors sprouted
on rooftops like daisies. Everyone wanted to harness all that "free"
energy.

What we soon discovered, however, is that it was far from free. The thermal
stress on all that black plastic soon reduced the collectors to cracked and
leaky junk -- and it was all ABOVE YOUR HOUSE so that the leaks did the most
harm to your home.

That's a classic example of a straw man argument - comparing 70s junk
with properly made stuff of 2008 with CE approval.

Incidentally, our roofs already stop water coming in, or it would be
very inconvenient when it rained. Modern solar collectors don't mean a
wholesale removal of the roof underneath them, just holes to allow the
mountings.

Now, you say, could these not be made more durable today? You bet they
could, but at a cost that would amaze you.

No, not really. The only 'cost would amaze you' items are solar
photovoltaic panels which ARE very expensive.

plumbing out of, no matter how much money you spend on it, there is one
truism that every long-term property owner knows to be true: Eventually, it
WILL leak.

One day these problems may be overcome. Until then, the natural gas
furnaces and water heaters will continue to be the most efficient choices.

Guess what, they leak too. I had to spend significant money on mine
after an internal steam leak corroded internal parts and caused it to
fail.

--
From the sunny Isle of Man.
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:00:34 GMT, Jay Honeck wrote:

Back during the LAST "energy crisis" in the 1970s, solar collectors sprouted
on rooftops like daisies. Everyone wanted to harness all that "free"
energy.

What we soon discovered, however, is that it was far from free. The thermal
stress on all that black plastic soon reduced the collectors to cracked and
leaky junk -- and it was all ABOVE YOUR HOUSE so that the leaks did the most
harm to your home. Within just a few years, they were gone from the
rooftops, and lots of contractors had prospered fleecing lots of "green"
home owners.

Now, you say, could these not be made more durable today? You bet they
could, but at a cost that would amaze you. And, no matter what you make
plumbing out of, no matter how much money you spend on it, there is one
truism that every long-term property owner knows to be true: Eventually, it
WILL leak.

One day these problems may be overcome. Until then, the natural gas
furnaces and water heaters will continue to be the most efficient choices.

My, you are a dolt.