From the Archives: The Promise of Solar Power in Chattanooga and What Went Wrong?

"I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." - Thomas Edison to Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, March 1931

First this isn't the 1970's...second TVA has NEVER been on the 'cutting edge' of solar technology. Look to the developers and investors...Sharp Corporation has been 'cutting edge' on solar since 1959 and today produces as much as a nuclear plant every year and combined with the other manufacturers still can not even keep up with demand...look outside the Valley man! We are being left behind...again.

Maybe the reason solar power has not taken off is the cost -- most people can't afford to fork out $10,000+ to solar power their home and the few who can afford it don't care enough to do it.

There is an alternative, a really good one in fact.
As we can introduce a new solar energy collection system that does three things in one go. It converts heat, light and wind into electricity. It is cheaper than current available systems, is easy to install and is 75% more effective than all other known systems. We do hope to introduce this new product by the end of 2008.
Green renewable greetings
Alex

Solar is happening...around the country....just not near as much in TVA areas. Throughout the country, way up north included and around the world solar electric systems have been going in as fast as panels can be made and shipped for the last several years. Growth rate has been extreme in production capacity for the last decade. Only locally do you still hear the misconception of value of the technology...an electric generator that requires no fuel but will generate power reliably for many decades into the future.

There are now hundreds of thousands of systems installed, adding property value and energy security to the well informed. Since solar modules are made from glass, aluminum and refined silicon...and none of these commodities are going down in price (up a lot) the value of solar systems from a few years ago has actually been increasing...but the cost of the fuel for these generators is still holding steady...free...and not imported. More than half the States have sales tax moratoriums and rebate incentives that help build this industry and the jobs that come with it....welcome to the 21st century.

It happened just like it was correographed to happen. 60's 80's etc. Keep the natives calm.
When there is a crisis the gov't and tva put on a show about how the technology is just about there and not quite cost effective yet, then the crisis slowly resolves and none of the technology is sold to the public and we are at square one. It happened with electric cars and busses too, see film "who killed the electric car" we need to promote solar,not vote on why it didn't happen. It did happen for me.
I didn't like the show so did my own energy system, for the last ten years have made my electricity from the wind and the solar panels that are at least fourty years old and still going strong. Solar is here now and a killowatt of cells is about $4000.00 add racks, batteries, an inverter and some wire, and you have a stand alone system that makes your juice. Most houses need two or three killowatts of solar to be independent (except for air conditioning and heating)
I live on a mountain for the cool and heat with an outside woodburning water heater that does it all.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY IS HERE NOw--AT LEAST AT MY HOUSE.
David Do an article on my friend at Big Frog Mtn Solar in N. Chatt. Tell people to just do it.