beammeupscotty Loc: 31°07'50.8"N 87°27'00.8"W

Solar panels are made from crystalline-silicon you have to have a battery array to store power when there is no sun. Lead acid batteries as far as i know. A power inverter is needed as the panels only produce DC current. Inverters put off alot of heat and have to be replaced periodically as do the batteries. The panels lose about 1% efficiency per year after 20 years you're running on 80%

Worried for our children Loc: Massachusetts

Thin film solar cells are created through a co-evaporation process of chemicals on a glass sheet. They have lower conversion efficiencies than silicon, but reduce the amount of material required in creating the cell. These are the chemicals along with the "lead" that you mentioned, that raise my concern. If the young lady " ginger"( if I recall) that"Ve'hoe", "Homestead", "Dave" and" S.O.W.", were responding to had made an argument for that, since her stance was the environment,(err I think), I could understand that a little better.


(Please, don't misunderstand me, in no way do I think, believe, or even suspect, that these chemicals play any factor whatsoever in the title of this topic, thank you.)

son of witless

I have a friend who is seriously considering putting solar panels on his roof. A company gave him a sales pitch and the numbers look good even to me. But it is still a complicated affair integrating in a variable power source like solar into your grid based home electric.

If I ever went with solar or wind I would rather look to keep it totally separate and use it for heating or air conditioning on it's on. When people add supplemental heat such as a wood stove they usually keep it separate from their main furnace.

Dave Loc: Upstate New York

[quote=ginger]Since I do not have a home, all and none is solar powered.[/quote

So, you're homeless - and as such have no ideal how much installing solar would cost, nor how much one might pay now for electricity and how much of what they use could come from solar, but do know solar is a cost effective alternative.

Also, as you described the planet as our home and I asked what might you recommend regarding other countries also on this planet - your response would indicate you are an alien - from some other "home" planet -

Guess I now have a better understanding how you come to conclude wh**ever it is that you conclude.

Ve'hoe

Not sure in which area you are alluding to:

1. In the decision to do or not to do the solar array, we (the military) hand NOTHING to say about it,,, the Civilian Congress/Senate said "DO IT" and take it out of your operations and exercise funds,,, which took it away from the warfighters. We have no choice in what they tell us to do, it was purely political so they can say "Hey,,, the military produces such and such % of their power from G***n E****y!!!! We Libs are GOOOOOOD, and we Luv the environment more! Repubs what dirty air and poison water and have no plan for anything, much less G***n E****y, and that is only because Republicans love Oil and arab terrorists k*****g everyone on welfare and social security" (Or something close, cant fully recall the horse sh-t story he he he)

2. The reality is that the chemicals are dumped and eventually get into the water table... if you grease the right politician and mob,,, they don't care, cause it isn't "Their water" its yours.

But you are right about pollution, however, what people really don't understand that in the process of purifying a single pint of water into a plastic bottle, you have to pollute 2 pints of water in the process. In every little thing, we contribute, some are easy to spot like that deal in West Virginia,,, where they still have not told us, what the chemical was!?! That is a Government failure and conspiracy to hide the fact that they rarely do the checks and balances inspections they are paid and required to do.

Worried for our children Loc: Massachusetts

I was alluding to your words, and I quote....


"I also have a BS in Chemistry and Biology, as well as a medical Doctorate. And I know for a fact chemically that what they claim about carbon is not true."



I thought that you would be able to elaborate on the chemicals etc. that "ginger" is apparently unaware of, that are contained within the solar panels, and the storage batteries, wiring, etc. which are more harmful to the environment than the natural occurring substances like "oil", that she appears to be petrified of.

As for your #1: I agree, and I understand how the military operates, atleast as much as anyone can. More so, I understand how the liberal mind works, as denoted by the quotes at the bottom of each of my posts.

And for #2: I agree

And for what I think is #3: thank you, and I agree also in respect to the W. Virginia incident, that is an outrage.

Ve'hoe

I was advised not to put them on the roof if you can,,,, they get damaged by weather, and roofers re-doing the roof,,, free standing is better.

Ve'hoe

Oh,,, well the biggest problem about chemicals is that the Solar advocacy in the Govt touts "getting away from oil" yet without oil you could never construct the panels... the power to manufacture it as well as the actual chemicals that create the plastic are from oil.

What is "in" a solar hot water heater panel is ethylene glycol, (anti-freeze) just like in your car...what is in the batteries, is lead acid or a nycad, what is in the cells is some acid that produces the electrons when heated by the sun.. I am not sure of the actual chemical used,,, photovoltaic cells (that produce electricity is very akin to a large battery that gains the energy from light/heat of the sun and converts that acid environment to electron flow,,, ie voltage,,,,

son of witless

I brought up the point that what if the roof would have to be replaced and apparently the solar company will take the panels off for free while the roof is replaced and then put them back on.

I am very skeptical, but if the solar company keeps it's promises then it sounds good. I still do not approve of forcing the power company to buy the excess power.

Worried for our children Loc: Massachusetts

Lol, not that we have that cleared up..... Thank you.


Funny how on these sites, how easy it can be to get confused, it happens to me more than I'd like to admit, and we mostly speak the same language! Lol

Worried for our children Loc: Massachusetts

* I meant NOW that we.....

skott Loc: Bama

Good discussion. I think what you two are leaving out is that the amount of oil based products used to make photocell products is infinitesimal compared to just burning oil. It's what less than 20% over the long run?