The Real Cost of Solar Energy

[Geee]

American Thinker:

President Obama has thrown down the gauntlet, spending billions of dollars to chase the green energy alchemy of solar harvesting. Speaking at Georgetown in April of this year, Obama said that the United States needs to "change the way we generate electricity in America -- so that it's cleaner, safer, and healthier ... we also know that ushering in a clean energy economy has the potential to create an untold number of new jobs and new businesses -- jobs that we want right here in America." Obama is the self-appointed champion for solar power, dolling out billions for and energy source that has failed to run profitably anywhere in the world.

The economy of scale makes apparent the physical impossibility of solar harvesting. Using the sun to provide 50% of America's electricity needs would necessarily cover tens of thousands of square miles with solar panels and mirrors, with all of it costing tens of trillions of dollars.
From the study commissioned by the University of Juan Carlos and the Juan de Mariana Institute, since 2000 Spain spent €571,138 to create each "green job", including subsidies of more than €1 million per wind industry job. Two thirds of jobs were in construction, fabrication and installation, one quarter in administrative positions, marketing and projects engineering, and just one out of ten jobs has been created at the more permanent level of actual operation and maintenance of the renewable sources of electricity. The programs creating each green job also resulted in the destruction of 2.2 jobs elsewhere in the country for every "green job" created. In the end the price of electricity paid by the consumer in Spain will have to be increased 31% to be able to repay the historic debt generated by the deficit produced by the subsidies to renewable. [see Resources below.]

Once the panels are constructed, the cold, hard reality of solar energy's 33% efficiency shines as hot as the midday sun. One can clearly see the massive government subsides required to keep solar plants operating while never achieving anywhere near breakeven return on investment. Environmentalists still proudly promote the green advantages of solar while glossing over the facts:

Solar projects include a natural gas generation system to supplement the grid when the sun doesn't shine.