Solar? Why Do We Even Bother? -- December 13, 2016

Starting in 2017, I had planned to downplay solar / wind energy. I planned to never post a stand-alone post on renewable energy. But this is so egregious, I really had no choice.

Solar electricity? Why do we even bother.

How much US electricity is generated by solar energy? This is after decades of federal government arm-twisting, tax credits, grants, crony capitalism.

Here's the graphic.
 

Solar represents 5% of renewable. And renewable represents 13% of all US electricity.

0.05 x 0.13 = 0.0065 or 0.65%. Yes, that barely rounds to 1%.

Wind, at 35% of all renewables, is 7x that of solar. And wind?  0.35 x .13 = 4.6% of US generated electricity.

It turns out this graphic was previously posted.

Previous posts:

• Solar, in 2014: 0.4%. 
• Maybe 1%, rounded, in 2015, but it's a stretch.

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Best Christmas Gift Ever?

Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. I've had some nice gifts over the years.

But this is certainly in the top ten. It's an original, vintage Beats Dr Dre pair of headphones. After Apple bought Beats, "Dr Dre" came off the headphones, I am told. I don't know. Be that as it may, my daughter saw these vintage Beats Dr Dre headphones at a pawn shop in Denton, TX. She said she immediately knew -- my name was all over them.

Well, not my name, perhaps, but they are incredible. The quality is incredible. And the color .. what can I say?

One hundred years from now, on the "Antique Road Show," they will be worth thousands. Because they will come with a great story.