Re: Renewable Energy
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Solar PV is EXTREMELY reliable. EXTREMELY. The first modern PV cell manufactured at Bell labs in 1954 still works. New modules are warrantied for 25 years and will work for much longer. They require little or no maintenance.
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I did not mean mechanically reliable. I mean that the sun doesn't shine 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
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That's true. The recent surge (such as it is) in PV could not be happening without net metering. Most systems are installed on properties that are still connected to the grid. When you use more power than you produce with your PV panels you draw power from the grid. When you produce more than you use, you supply power to the grid and your meter turns backwards. Some systems have separate meters.
Solar PV obviously can not be the only solution for power since it does not produce at night. On a utility level pumping water in conjunction with hydroelectric power is a fairly efficient way to store energy, but at this point I'm just involved in systems that provide power for use on site, not for sale.*
In off-grid settings PV with battery back-up and sometimes with wind power is economically viable even though it is more expensive because bringing in electric power or transporting fuel is even more expensive. That is a very small part of the market though.
*Net metering is sorta for sale, but they just take it off your bill. None of the net metering deals I know about allow you to sell more than you use over the course of a year. (in the US I mean - In Germany - the world leader in Solar - they allow you to sell back w/e you produce)
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