4 ms·

A bit odd to compare the blight of solar panels to the introduction of coal. There’s no reason to not densely pack solar panels atop commercial buildings or a

A bit odd to compare the blight of solar panels to the introduction of coal. There’s no reason to not densely pack solar panels atop commercial buildings or any other large pieces of land, then “transport” the energy to the homes. The constraints are completely different.

jillesvangurp 4y ago
Indeed, the main concern with solar is just cost and availability. Getting electricity for free from the sun is a great value proposition for most people. Spending tens of thousands on your roof, not so much. The upfront investment is a bit of a hurdle. And you get some push-back from Nimby's complaining about what things look like. Of course nothing compared to if you were to cause a lot of smog by burning coal. With coal the concern is the sooth, dust, pollution, and smell. It's just nasty, toxic stuff. Smog from coal is unpleasant. It's not like a wood fire which at least smells nice. Coal is what you used to burn if you could not afford wood or gas. Throwing a lump of coal on the fire is nobody's idea of a romantic thing to do. Making a nice wood fire, completely different thing. Here in Berlin, people were burning coal in some parts of the city until gentrification caused most of the remaining DDR construction to get renovated. As recent as ten years ago, you could smell coal in the winter in e.g. Prenzlauer Berg, which is now a properly gentrified area full of hipsters, coffee shops, etc. One of my colleagues at the time rented an attic with only a coal furnace. He had to carry the stuff upstairs if he wanted heating. But he payed very little in rent so he was OK with that. It's the most run down, poor areas that got rid of coal last.
- throwaway28934 4y ago
  My family burned coal when I was a child, and eventually switched to wood. Cost aside, coal still seemed a lot more practical for seriously heating a house because it stays lit much longer, wood constantly demands attention and refuelling. But it's harder to light and the ash is useless. Nostalgic though :)
bobthepanda 4y ago
Not familiar with installation as I don’t own a home, but do most roofs have the load capacity to handle all the solar panels? One of the deadliest building disasters happened because of not respecting weight limits of the roof. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampoong_Department_Store_collapse https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampoong_Department_Store_co...
- Forgeties79 4y ago
  Solar shingles are a relatively new consumer option I’ve seen deployed very effectively. Looks slick if done right and helps reduce/solve the problem you’re mentioning.
  - joecool1029 4y ago
    >if done right My gut reaction is that it probably costs a ton more to install and wire solar shingles and is less efficient? Unless we're talking new commercial installs and not residential?
    - p1esk 4y ago
      *it probably costs a ton more to install It does (Tesla), but might still make sense if you need to replace your old roof.
- Spooky23 4y ago
  Generally speaking, yes. But as with all things, it depends.
- edent 4y ago
  The large panels I recently had installed weighed less than 20Kg each. Much less than the weight of the slate tiles they replaced.

jillesvangurp 4y ago

Indeed, the main concern with solar is just cost and availability. Getting electricity for free from the sun is a great value proposition for most people. Spending tens of thousands on your roof, not so much. The upfront investment is a bit of a hurdle. And you get some push-back from Nimby's complaining about what things look like. Of course nothing compared to if you were to cause a lot of smog by burning coal. With coal the concern is the sooth, dust, pollution, and smell. It's just nasty, toxic stuff. Smog from coal is unpleasant. It's not like a wood fire which at least smells nice. Coal is what you used to burn if you could not afford wood or gas. Throwing a lump of coal on the fire is nobody's idea of a romantic thing to do. Making a nice wood fire, completely different thing. Here in Berlin, people were burning coal in some parts of the city until gentrification caused most of the remaining DDR construction to get renovated. As recent as ten years ago, you could smell coal in the winter in e.g. Prenzlauer Berg, which is now a properly gentrified area full of hipsters, coffee shops, etc. One of my colleagues at the time rented an attic with only a coal furnace. He had to carry the stuff upstairs if he wanted heating. But he payed very little in rent so he was OK with that. It's the most run down, poor areas that got rid of coal last.

throwaway28934 4y ago
My family burned coal when I was a child, and eventually switched to wood. Cost aside, coal still seemed a lot more practical for seriously heating a house because it stays lit much longer, wood constantly demands attention and refuelling. But it's harder to light and the ash is useless. Nostalgic though :)

bobthepanda 4y ago

Not familiar with installation as I don’t own a home, but do most roofs have the load capacity to handle all the solar panels? One of the deadliest building disasters happened because of not respecting weight limits of the roof. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampoong_Department_Store_collapse https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampoong_Department_Store_co...

Forgeties79 4y ago
Solar shingles are a relatively new consumer option I’ve seen deployed very effectively. Looks slick if done right and helps reduce/solve the problem you’re mentioning.
- joecool1029 4y ago
  >if done right My gut reaction is that it probably costs a ton more to install and wire solar shingles and is less efficient? Unless we're talking new commercial installs and not residential?
  - p1esk 4y ago
    *it probably costs a ton more to install It does (Tesla), but might still make sense if you need to replace your old roof.
Spooky23 4y ago
Generally speaking, yes. But as with all things, it depends.
edent 4y ago
The large panels I recently had installed weighed less than 20Kg each. Much less than the weight of the slate tiles they replaced.