Since even Germans are giving up on solar pwr do you think we can stop using tax money to buy solar companies?

[Thedude27]

...and wondering why we are losing the money?

Germany once prided itself on being the “photovoltaic world champion”, doling out generous subsidies—totaling more than $130 billion, according to research from Germany’s Ruhr University—to citizens to invest in solar energy. But now the German government is vowing to cut the subsidies sooner than planned and to phase out support over the next five years. What went wrong?

Subsidizing green technology is affordable only if it is done in tiny, tokenistic amounts. Using the government’s generous subsidies, Germans installed 7.5 gigawatts of photovoltaic capacity last year, more than double what the government had deemed “acceptable.” It is estimated that this increase alone will lead to a $260 hike in the average consumer’s annual power bill.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_p...socialflow

Yea we've been telling you green jobs idiots this for years now. Like we have said over and over Let the free market perfect the technology and if it ever becomes viable we wont have to subsidize it, ppl will just buy it because it makes financial sense.
yes John I agree
Molly are you on drugs?

According to Der Spiegel, even members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s staff are now describing the policy as a massive money pit. Philipp Rösler, Germany’s minister of economics and technology, has called the spiraling solar subsidies a “threat to the economy.”

yea everything's fine...I'm sure the german ppl will love that extra 300/year on top of bailing out Greece.

[Thedude27]

Nothing will stop the libs from using our money to fund Obama's cronies.

[Adam]

wasted energy, im trying to make somthing in my basement right now that might work to store more energy without needing replacment too often


might work but it hasnt twice already

[nicelight618]

Solar energy will probably still have an important role in the future, when it can be made economically viable without subsidies.

[Wrenched]

Obama certainly isn't a very good investor is he? I wouldn't want him selecting stocks for me.

Solar and wind generation with battery back up are great solutions to have when the economy collapses and destroys the grid, or when weather (Earth bound (weather.gov) and Space weather Space weather.com) takes out the grid. Don't stop installing or planning to install solar or wind generated power solutions just yet.

It matters not if it is a green technology...it could save your life and/or make your life much more comfortable when natural conditions or Obama destroys our economy and power grid.

Here in the states tax incentives and the fact that power companies must buy your excess power production (lowering your power bill) make it a very economically feasable choice.

[Molly]

Nothing went wrong Australia is doing the same thing the subsidies are not going to be around forever.

You surely don't think it will be cheap to dispose of nuclear waste do you not to mention the upkeep to make sure it stay safe beneath the ground.

No I am not on drugs Australia has the same scheme and the government will faze it our over five years.
We are like Germany our economy is doing great.unlike Americans don't mind our taxes being spent on something for our children future.
Ironically Australia backing US war on terror has probably cost more.

[Waterfall]

I have found conflicting information about Germany's solar energy initiatives here:
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/...g-reactors
and here:http://questpointsolarsolutions.com/?p=11298
and here:http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,5279253,00.html
Since Germany is totally abandoning nuclear over the next decade,they must rely more heavily on wind and solar,despite what your source material states. And you misrepresent the problem with the subsidy program for solar in Germany. The problem is farm land is being appropriated for placement of solar panels rather than rooftop applications.
Also,the perfecting of a technology often comes right out of government projects. The internet itself was a government sponsored initiative. Free markets do not perfect things,they market the cheapest pieces of crap they can pass off on consumers they can get away with. Profit is the goal,never perfection.

[roderick_young]

One thing I will say is that Germany manages its finances well. I am in a small minority that thinks we should increase our taxes to their level, and fund proper health care for all.