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It will be interesting to see where the energy market will be in the next ten years. I do believe that at some point people will need new forms of energy since

by kirinan 14y ago

It will be interesting to see where the energy market will be in the next ten years. I do believe that at some point people will need new forms of energy since the forms we currently have are too expensive (or getting to expensive) for the average person to afford. Since the market needs the majority of people (in the popular cases) to need their energy, maybe it will adapt. I would like to see some more competition in the market of energy; in most small cities in the midwest and some of the larger ones there are virtual monopolies allowed by the cities. This is sad, and I think the business sector can do a lot better. Warren Buffet paying into solar is a promising sign, however I think there needs to be a lot invested in brand new technologies that havent been created yet.

electromagnetic 14y ago
I know I've noticed a boost in the amount of properties that have solar in my area in just the past few years. Solar pool heaters are very common now too. With companies offering financing for the sell-back programs with solar it's going to improve, I know bungalows in our area that can get a decent sized system installed can make about $2200 a year, pay nothing for the installation of the system, and get tax cuts. Smaller systems are still worth it, you're just not going to get many people paying $10,000 up front for a few kilowatt system that'll take 7-8 years to pay back. I expect as efficiency in systems go up there'll be a huge improvement in the numbers of people with solar. I know with the current systems I can only get a 2-3KW system on my roof (the south facing portion), which isn't worth it with the install costs, etc required for the sell-back programs. In 10 years when the solar panels being sold are close to the efficiency we see in labs today, it will be cost effective for just about every property in a suburban area to get solar systems set up. We're literally on the precipice of a power revolution. I wouldn't be surprised if we see architecture change to increase the amount of south facing roof to increase the amount of energy properties can get. Imagine when the majority of power for cities is being supplied by the suburbs surrounding them. Any abundance in electricity will absolutely fuck the natural gas market. I know running an electric furnace in my area costs about 50% more than natural gas, but when home owners are making more money from their solar system than they're consuming, electric furnaces and hot water heaters will break peoples energy expenses even. Paying $0 a month for all your utilities, or even getting paid per month, will change the entire energy market.
eru 14y ago
> I do believe that at some point people will need new forms of energy since the forms we currently have are too expensive (or getting to expensive) for the average person to afford. Isn't shale gas actually making energy more affordable at the moment?

by kirinan 14y ago

electromagnetic 14y ago

I know I've noticed a boost in the amount of properties that have solar in my area in just the past few years. Solar pool heaters are very common now too. With companies offering financing for the sell-back programs with solar it's going to improve, I know bungalows in our area that can get a decent sized system installed can make about $2200 a year, pay nothing for the installation of the system, and get tax cuts. Smaller systems are still worth it, you're just not going to get many people paying $10,000 up front for a few kilowatt system that'll take 7-8 years to pay back. I expect as efficiency in systems go up there'll be a huge improvement in the numbers of people with solar. I know with the current systems I can only get a 2-3KW system on my roof (the south facing portion), which isn't worth it with the install costs, etc required for the sell-back programs. In 10 years when the solar panels being sold are close to the efficiency we see in labs today, it will be cost effective for just about every property in a suburban area to get solar systems set up. We're literally on the precipice of a power revolution. I wouldn't be surprised if we see architecture change to increase the amount of south facing roof to increase the amount of energy properties can get. Imagine when the majority of power for cities is being supplied by the suburbs surrounding them. Any abundance in electricity will absolutely fuck the natural gas market. I know running an electric furnace in my area costs about 50% more than natural gas, but when home owners are making more money from their solar system than they're consuming, electric furnaces and hot water heaters will break peoples energy expenses even. Paying $0 a month for all your utilities, or even getting paid per month, will change the entire energy market.

eru 14y ago

> I do believe that at some point people will need new forms of energy since the forms we currently have are too expensive (or getting to expensive) for the average person to afford. Isn't shale gas actually making energy more affordable at the moment?