Forum Post: BP closes unique US solar plant - exports renewable energy jobs
Posted 12 years ago on Nov. 2, 2011, 2:32 p.m. EST by GreenOurFuture
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Have you ever heard of a "solar breeder?" The concept is that's it's a solar panel (photovoltaic) manufacturing plant that uses solar panels and solar energy to power its own manufacturing to make more solar panels. Pretty amazing climate change solution.
Exxon and then BP bought up a Maryland company called Solarex that was moving in this direction. Once upon a time BP tried out the line "beyond petroleum" to signal its interest in diversifying its energy portfolio from climate-changing oil.
But now BP has decided to shut down Solarex and export solar energy jobs to Asia where their profits are better.
Occupiers would do well to keep an eye on the energy sector, because it's as important as the financial sector for our future.
Here are two articles about BP's closing of this truly innovative plant.
BP’s Solar Retreat Signals Exodus of U.S. Renewable-Energy Jobs http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aGVOmSgSj_hk
BP Solar to Close Iconic Solarex Solar Building http://www.solarfeeds.com/bp-solar-to-close-iconic-solarex-solar-building/
the best way to fuck the energy companies is in the pockets. Wind and solar power your home yourself. Be independent
I know there was a spammer runnin around earlier putting this up, but things like this really makes just want to add: Zeitgeist:Moving forward. Its a 2.5 Hour movie, and says some really interesting things about exactly this kind of issue.
That said, welcome to the third-world-ization of the U.S..... How many more innovative technologies are we going to give to Asia? And to what point? Cheap labor generally tends to mean Cheap quality..... Disposable Solar Panels anyone (Which is meant as a joke, because the things are HIGHLY toxic to make)? Oh boy.....
Solar panels last a very long time, and don't generate any pollution to use. Have you compared the toxins they make to the gasoline you use? Or the coal that probably powers your heating system? Or the nuclear waste from your electricity generation? We need the facts to push for the changes we need!
The exact point Im making is that were losing innovative technologies to people and places that won't care as much about this exact issue.... Specifically the ratio of pollutants to create vs the amount of pollutants created to use..... I asked what I did because, knowing business and the average quality of chinese imports, can you imagine a world with disposable Solar Panels? I was being ironic and more then a tad sarcastic.....
There is no Return on Investment in Solar. It is a waste of time until they become more efficient.
I write this from an off-grid house, powered by wind and sun - there's a huge return in investment on solar: it's called responsible climate-safe energy. If you think that only fast, high-yielding investments are worthwhile, you may be on the wrong side of Occupy Wall Street.
With 25 years of reseach and millions invested in proving technology, It is known that the average home owner or commercial building owner can reduce the energy consumption of most buildings by up to 85% reducing carbon output similarly, without solar and wind.
We have a saying, Green with money, Green with Envy, Green around the Gills. It is not about Green but about "Re". Re-coup, Re-use, Re-store, Re-structure, Re-build, and it all starts with Re-evaluating the energy used.
Completely agreed. Energy is as important, potentially more import, to our futures than finance is. In one logical analogy, without energy there simply is no economy, no food, no life.
Please review my post "Solar energy revolution" and also see Herrman Scheers 'A Solar Manifesto' explaining why and how we must switch to alternative energy now, without any fossil nonsense of any sort. Democratise energy and all else will pave the way.
www.INFORSE.org/europe (International network for sustainable energy) Denmark www.CREEE.org (lobby Coalition for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency)
There's not really any "energy problem." There are lots of ways and sources to provide energy for stationary uses. The problem is with respect to liquid transportation fuels which we're dependent upon and for which there aren't any real good substitutes for currently.
You are correct, transportation fuels are somewhat of a problem. But the idea is to go forward, in a very dramatic way, similar to the way transmission grids were set up after the invention of the light bulb, and gas (petrol) fired cars were mass produced by Henry Ford after the development of the car.
To keep questioning renewable energy is asinine. To go forward with proven renewable energy technologies is logic. We already have bio-fuels and, if managed sustainably, they word perfectly well for liquid fuels. After developments in EVs both storage and renewable transportation will accelerate quite quickly.
Don't allow corrupt media sources to disway us. Again see Hermann Scheer's 'Solar Manifesto' if you have the chance please. http://www.hermannscheer.de/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=7