• frezik
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    1 year ago

    Further lowering panel cost isn’t going to significantly cut that price. Cost of labor is the major part of that.

    People always focus on rooftop solar, but it’s horribly expensive compared to a field of panels. The economics of scale will almost certainly keep it that way.

    What we should be looking at is community solar, where neighborhoods invest in a solar field together.

    • Cyclohexane@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Wouldn’t that be a less sustainable use of land?

      I guess maybe not if we are talking tall building, where the roof surface area may not be sufficient for the entire building. But it would be a waste not to make use of all the unused rooftops

      • ours@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yeah, in some countries, land is at a premium. No way would it be wasted on just solar panels. Rooftop installations make the most sense.

        They are even testing putting them afloat on dam reservoirs.

      • frezik
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        1 year ago

        Even if we wanted to use land for solar panels and nothing else, 41% of US land is dedicated to beef. We have plenty of land if we eat a few less burgers every week.

    • Grass@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      I’ve always thought that in the neighborhoods where everyone lives in townhomes and mini apartments a shared multi floor parkade with solar and maybe also wind on top should be a thing. Even if the solar is just covering the parkade’s power usage.

      • frezik
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        1 year ago

        Right. This stuff gets better as it scales up. Large industrial buildings can be almost as cheap as a big field.

    • BaldProphet@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Field solar has serious environmental implications as long as the ground over which the panels are placed isn’t already developed for a different use. Covering parking lots, big box stores, and freeways with solar is much more environmentally sound.