Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Why should I as a tax payer have to finance Government solar panels?
Why can't we continue with our mix of private coal, gas, nuclear power generation.
The gov't should provide us with a national defense, and basically back out of everything else.
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The price of oil does not adequately reflect the true price. Our trillion dollar military presence in the Middle East is very fairly part of the cost of oil. Once that is understood it is very clear that solar is not only less expensive, it is also strategically intelligent in that it reduces the pressure for international conflict.
In addition, when you calculate the cost of oil, since it is imported the government does not receive tax dollars. But with solar that is manufactured in the US the US government gets back 40% of the cost in tax revenue, it generates excellent domestic jobs and industry and good service jobs going forward. It also is a clean energy that doesn't result in air pollution and asthma.
Health care costs for asthma and related air pollution costs like cancer should also be calculated in as a very real saving. Solar is a very good investment based on today's cost for energy, but that is still not a reasonable calculation. When you pay for solar you are paying for 25 years of energy. Ask yourself, is oil going to get more expensive over the next 25 years? If so that has to be calculated into your determination.
By every single measure solar is a very good investment for the US government. But it is especially good for our military because it results in a distributed power source. Right now the power grid is a target for terrorists, hackers and all foreign enemies. The more the military decentralizes it the smarter it is for a strategic point of view.
Finally, a very large contract like the one I envision will have a huge impact on the development of US industry and manufacturing.