We Don't Need No Stinking Giant Mirrors

remove the br tag from url to get functioning link.

Kate,The link needs a touch up.

-program-saves-ho "br /" meowners

Calgary has bought into the green scam.

From commenter Duane Phinney on the article, "Now for the rest of the story: Solar panels have an average life span of 25 years before they stop producing energy. On the downside, they produce less energy each year, starting with year one. They lose about 6 - 7 percent of their value each year from the previous year. If you start out requiring the use of Solar power 95% / Commercial power 5% by the end of 10 years the ratio will be 50-50, unless you replace your solar panels during that time."

This article is aso listed in Jack's Newswatch.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/21/calgary-solar-panel-program-saves-homeowners-nothing-in-electricity-bills-analysis/

Fixed - thanks!

You get similar results when you do the math on electric cars. That is why no-one except for pinkos is buying them.

Once again Calgary shows how it is more hip and sophisticated than Toronto. Toronto wants to increase revenue from residents by building a casino. How passe'. Besides gamblers occasionally win and the House has to pay out some cash.

Solar panels, that's the ticket: good public relations; lots of new money for advertising, marketing, installation; and (possibly) a bit of extra electricity. Best of all, the homeowner cannot possibly possibly win...it is the ultimate voluntary tax.

LC - U of A is in Edmonton, not Calgary, so it is quite possible this is really an Edmonton story. At any rate, if they've only sold about 250 units province-wide, there aren't that many suckers out West.

We also saw the same brochure, did a bit of basic math, and decided not to get these roof ornaments. If they really worked to the extent we could justify the cost and the impact to the environment of manufacturing these panels, we would have looked at them. Also, we did have concerns about their durability during a prairie hail storm. As it is, our home has used passive solar for years. Now THAT'S environmentally friendly.

I think the story says the solar panel program is in Calgary. From what I understand about the two cities, R-Edmonton would have forced homeowners buy the panels.

PV solar panels make even less sense on the Prairies than wind. At least the wind always blows. The sun is at too low of angle for half of the year to produce significant electricity. As you mention hail (and wind and snow) easily damages/interferes with the panels. By passive solar, do you mean a house designed to capture both light and heat or a sun warmed, water heater system - both of which I find more interesting than PVs?

Nothing fancy about our house, but it was built with wide eaves and lots of south-facing windows. So we get sun in the winter, but (relatively speaking but we have blinds) shade in the summer, and it's surprising how much warmth is generated. Also have big trees all around as our air conditioning.

If you're looking to increase your ecological street cred, it's cheaper to install fake plastic panels.

Fake electrical sockets to stick on your car are also available.

Frances - simple, old-fashioned designs (with good insulation and modern technology) that are suited to your climate are the best method to achieve energy savings, IMO. Windmills and solar polar are such a waste of time and money.

That fellow will just have to move to Ontario - where you don't have to worry about what it says in Leviticus or Exodus. Just put up your panels and put the screws to your neighbours.

If this was Ontario, I'll have mine in the basement, please. I've got some arc lights waiting for them.