The inefficiency of solar energy

 Viv Forbes:

By the time solar energy reaches Earth's surface, it is spread very thin — even midday sunshine will not boil the billy or make toast.  And solar collectors will convert only about 20% of that weak energy into electricity.  Thus, thousands of solar panels are needed to collect significant energy, and lots more to charge the expensive batteries needed to maintain electricity supply overnight and during cloudy weather.  Despite these disadvantages, force-feeding of "green" energy by all levels of government has given Australia nearly three million solar collectors (mainly imported from China).

It requires scads of land to generate significant electricity from the sun's weak rays.  But even in sunny weather, they produce nothing for sixteen hours every day.  And a sprinkling of dust, pollen, ash, or salt, or a few splatters of poop from birds or flying foxes, can reduce output by 50%, while night, snow, or heavy cloud cover snuffs them out.

Solar energy collection is maximized if the panels face the sun exactly and follow the daily and seasonal movements of the sun across the sky.  No rooftop collectors and only 40% of ground facilities can do this.  Thus, to produce the planned energy requires an even bigger area of collector panels, covering even more land.

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Australia is also a world leader in installing subsidized rooftop solar.  But a quick drive around the suburbs will show that few panels have the size, the ideal orientation, or the cleanliness to be efficient collectors of solar energy — they are green status symbols designed to collect subsidies.  Many will fail to recover the real cost of manufacture, transport, installation, and restoration.  They destabilize the electricity network and elevate average electricity prices for industry and for those who cannot afford a house, let alone one with its own solar panels.

All for zero climate benefits.

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Every solar installation consumes energy to mine metals; manufacture, transport, and erect panels; and build access roads and transmission lines over long distances.  Careful analysis will show an energy deficit over their short lifetimes.  And when an earthquake, hailstorm, cyclone, or hurricane smashes these exposed rows of solar panels, dumps of mangled trash will be left.  Most of this debris cannot be recycled, and tons of metals, glass, and plastic are destined to end their life as toxic, non-degradable landfill.

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There is more.

Both wind and solar are inefficient and unreliable sources of energy that are completely ineffective in extreme weather when energy is needed most. They are not adequate alternatives to fossil fuels. If the left wants to do away with what works they better come up with better alternatives.