Solar panels – more silly roof schemes
The roof insulation scheme was dangerous, ill planned and wasted community funds.
The roof solar panel scheme will also be dangerous and far more wasteful. It should be suspended immediately and an independent enquiry made into its engineering and financial feasibility.
There are two aspects of electricity demand.
First is base load demand, which is present 24 hours a day, every day. However the sun shines brightly for only a few hours around noon. Thus solar panels cannot replace even one iota of base load generating capacity. Coal, gas, hydro, nuclear or some expensive power storage system must sit there ready to supply 100% of base load power every night and any cloudy day.
The second consideration is peak load demand, which tends to occur around meal times, night and morning. Solar panels contribute nothing at these times either.
Therefore every dollar spent on roof solar panels duplicates capital already spent on conventional power generation – ie community capital is wasted.
Roof solar panels also induce householders into danger.
Even a small amount of dirt, dust, bird droppings, tree leaves or suicidal kites will dramatically reduce the electricity generated by a solar panel. Someone must climb onto the roof and clean the panel. Someone will fall off.
Solar power is not free. The provision of sunshine is free, but construction, collection, distribution, maintenance and replacement of solar panels are not free and solar power will always need taxes on competitors or support from taxpayers to survive.
Surely our parliament cannot be so negligent as to allow rock singers and lawyers to pretend that solar playthings have the reliability, capacity and safety to provide any useful contribution to the future energy needs of our cities, trains, factories, mines and farms?
If solar panels are so good, consumers will buy them without coercion and subsidies. If they are a dangerous waste, why should other consumers and taxpayers be forced into folly?
Viv Forbes is Chairman of the Carbon Sense Coalition, an Australian organisation which opposes pollution and waste of energy, and promotes rational carbon energy policies.
