We’ve been trying to make solar work for a very long time. I can remember when there were solar panels on the White House roof (Reagan had them removed). Things that have underperformed for decades almost never take off.
Things that have underperformed for decades almost never take off.
That is pretty much the exact opposite of how technology actually works.
“We’ve been trying human flight since Da Vinci, but after decades of trying, we can conclude humans will never fly”
“We’ve been trying to cure smallpox for decades, but it’s still endemic, so we will never eradicate smallpox”
“We’ve been trying to turn lead into gold for centuries, so it must not be possible” (granted, this one is only physically possible now, I don’t think it’s economically viable, but my point stands)
In each of those cases, what worked was a fundamentally new approach. We didn’t breed leeches to the point where they could cure smallpox. Photovoltaics have been around since the 50s; if they were going to work at scale they’d have worked by now.
I think we’ve uncovered the basic disagreement and further discussion seems pointless.
We’ve been trying to make solar work for a very long time. I can remember when there were solar panels on the White House roof (Reagan had them removed). Things that have underperformed for decades almost never take off.
That is pretty much the exact opposite of how technology actually works.
“We’ve been trying human flight since Da Vinci, but after decades of trying, we can conclude humans will never fly”
“We’ve been trying to cure smallpox for decades, but it’s still endemic, so we will never eradicate smallpox”
“We’ve been trying to turn lead into gold for centuries, so it must not be possible” (granted, this one is only physically possible now, I don’t think it’s economically viable, but my point stands)
In each of those cases, what worked was a fundamentally new approach. We didn’t breed leeches to the point where they could cure smallpox. Photovoltaics have been around since the 50s; if they were going to work at scale they’d have worked by now.
I think we’ve uncovered the basic disagreement and further discussion seems pointless.