Re: FN-FORUM: energy prices + solar servers

date posted 21st December 2007 10:40

>> On 20/12/2007 14:38, Punters Power wrote:
>>>
>>> Anyone know if we have a UK equivalent?
>>>
>>> http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_a.html
>>>
>>> anyone using solar powered hosting?
>>>
On Thurs, Dec 20, 2007 2:44 PM, Martin Wheatley replied
>>
>> Solar powered hosting, in the UK ?
>>
>> Are you mad ? ;)
>>
>> I'd expect you could probably offset a small amount of your battery
>> backup
>> with solar but I wouldn't use it as a primary source.
>>
>> Martin
>>
On Thurs, Dec 20, 2007 2:57 PM Punters Power wrote:
>
> mad? I am totally barking... so you wouldn't believe me if I told you
> that
> we are in the same sun belt as germany and germany has 56% of the worlds
> share of installed pv systems!
>
> pv is still not as cost effective as solar thermal but it will get there,
> besides pv combined with a wind turbine would most definately produce
> enough
> juice to offset a small hosting setup!
>
> currently the only host I have found is 100% solar but he is cheating! the
> servers are in the US!
>
> ecologicalhosting.com

Please don't top post.

The only reason germany has such a share is because of subsidies. There are
two types of subsidy: 1) direct from the state and, 2) from the
manufacturer! Nearly all solar panels are made from silicon wafers which
are a by-product of the semiconductor industry, wafers which failed the
strict quality control standards required for semiconductors. Without the
semiconductor industry there wouldn't be such a tiny base of installed solar
power in Germany would there? (56% of some tiny fraction is itself a tiny
fraction) By all means correct me if I'm wrong on this. Perhaps when GM
bio-products become available or cheaper and more efficient solar films,
then solar power may be worthwhile. As things stand today, relying on
cast-offs from the semiconductor industry is no way to create sustainable,
zero CO2-fooprint energy.