Open Letter on behalf of Solar Electricity

Wind power does not work as well as solar electricity does for residential areas.

Whereas a solar-electric system on every available rooftop and a plug-in electric car in every available garage is the answer, wind turbines just don’t work–in any practical sense–in the middle of American neighborhoods.

#1 It is not always windy, but there is always “light” every day that we can turn into usable solar-generated power. “Photovoltaics” = Light Energy.

#2 Wind turbines are too big and too noisy at residential sites, which are perfect for solar-electric systems on the roof of the home.

#3 Wind turbines have more moving parts than solar-electric systems, which have essentially no moving parts. More moving parts equals more maintenance. However, maintenance fees for wind energy never seem to come up in the supposed cost advantages of producing wind power.  With a solar-electric system, you put it up on your roof and it works for 40-50 years with little to no maintenance.*

* The inverter will need to be replaced about every 15-20 years; and the solar panels should be washed with water from a garden hose maybe twice a year, if you live in an area with a drought and the rainwater did not take care of it naturally. Wind turbines have blades spinning that require regular and routine replacement of parts all the time.

#4 A simple law of Physics: the longer the distance that electricity has to travel the more energy is lost along the way. Longer transmission lines for wind energy mean more energy is lost. Localized solar-electric systems on the roof of the home capture all of the usable energy: there is no distance to travel from the source of the energy to its end consumption location because it is all one and the same.

Solar Electricity is the real-life, practical answer for generating clean, quiet, reliable cost-saving energy (in comparison to the rising energy rates from many utility companies). Wind does not work for suburban America, but solar power does. Solar works–for all practical purposes—way better than wind. Is wind being used as a ruse? Why don’t politicians promote solar electricity? Maybe because it works too well; and it jeopardizes the profits of the utility companies and the fossil fuel companies? I don’t know. I’m just asking.

For the future success of the USA, know these letters: S-O-L-A-R. Then the next step: a plug-in electric car.

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Read more: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/a-republican-shout-out-for-wind-energy/#preview