I know, I am going to run out of Sun related puns and allusions pretty soon, but until then, I remain excited about the prospects of a solar powered world, and will continue to follow what I believe to be the most exciting innovation that we are continuing to ignore.
The New York Times recently published an article, “Silicon Valley Starts to Turn Its Face to the Sun” in which they reference Moore’s Law and how since solar panels are made of silicon, we may continue to see Moore type leap in efficiency. I remarked last week that the recent run up in oil prices will only serve to push the demand for solar. The one concern I had on solar as a power source is that by definition, it’s not available 24 hours per day in every area. I was looking for a sign that storage (batteries) that would bridge the gaps (nighttime) in availability. A story just crossed the wire titled “Sharp to make solar power storage batteries” and that helped to boost my optimism that as the cost of solar continues to drop, we will have a new storage technology available.
I dream of the electric car that when charged has a range of 240 miles. I dream of charging stations at every rest area and gas station, with a simple metered system to draw power and bill your credit card. A half hour fast charge to get that 240 mile range would be ideal. Even the 240 range would cover 90% of people’s regular daily use, and would have enough range for an ideal second family car. The lower emissions would only be an extra perk in this scenario.
JOE
Yes, please bill my credit card for the electricity. I’ll refi-cash-out to pay off the balance.
Some day, attitudes will change about credit…
Sorry, Eric, I think of the credit card as a convenience, a way to have one bill to pay, instead of carrying cash to the grocery store, gas station, etc.
The important point here is not the method of payment (I suppose you could use a debit card, or cash if you wish) but that the cost would be far less per mile than you are now paying.
Joe