[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: Solar Energy



Stephen Lajoie <lajoie@eskimo.com> once more vaguely overgeneralizes:

>In short, Solar is a crack pot idea if proposed for large scale 
>applications. 

Perhaps once could construe this as "solar electricity is expensive,
compared to grid power, if that is available, and solar thermal power
is difficult to transport."

Large buildings are easy to heat with the sun. It is harder to heat small
buildings, but that doesn't matter, considering how large people are:
it is very hard to make a 2' cubical house that is 100% solar heated.
A 4' cube is easier, an 8' cube, easier still, and a 16' cube is a piece
of cake. This has to do with time constants and surface to volume ratios,
as well as the fact that taller passive solar collectors work better. 

Nick