Originally Posted by Shannow
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
For EVs to be really effective, we need solar and wind power; basically switch away from coal as the source of electric power.
I am having solar installed and will get a 30% tax credit on the project, which includes a new roof.
Electric cars are in their infancy (including infrastructure); I suggest we think in 10, 20, 50 year plans.
Certainly Elon Musk has taken on the leadership role.
The energy return on investment for solar is around 3...means that you get 3 times the amount of energy out of the panel as went into making it...then it's toxic landfill...that's neither efficient or green.
Then put it into a battery (so that you can use it later), and that drops to 1.8 to 2...that's really a very poor use of resources...lithium battery recycling loses the lithium to cement these days, so incredibly wasteful.
Then lose 20% of your electrons in battery a, charging battery b, the concept becomes farcical.
Now before anyone jumps as me not seeing what's available in the future, we are just about maxed out on the efficiency of a single layer solar cell...and there's only so many watts per square meter hitting the ground.
Solar -> battery -> EV utopia is a naive madman's dream (and musk fits that perfectly). ..unless he's a Charlatan, which I can work with also.
Current numbers are about 4 years for production energy vs 30 years panel life; with production processes improving.
Yes, there is a lot of work to do around creation (like use of coal) to disposal; this is an emerging technology.
But calling this technology things like madman's dream or charlatan is just wrong.