"J. R. Molloy" wrote:
> Thanks for the extra information, 'Gene. Doesn't it cost a lot to cover your
> roof with the gear to convert solar photon energy to hydrogen? I mean, if this
Sure, if you do it after the house was built. Now if you plan the thin-film
PV to be part of the facade/roof, it's just an incremental cost on structural
materials, and of course the economies of scale will soon make it about as
expensive as floatglass sheets. Future alternatives involve flexible solar cells,
possibly from plastic, and artificial photosynthesis, after we get a lot better
with understanding the photosynthetic center, and create cheap, long-lasting
substitutes.
> were a feasible alternative to paying the electric utility companies, wouldn't
> Californians be doing it right now? And if it is a feasible alternative,
> shouldn't we be investing in fuel cell manufacturing?
Energy is cheap, and installation costs are high, it needs some R&D and
a decade of economy of scale powered growth.
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