"Jan Panteltje" wrote in message
...

[snip]

That does not mean that there are no individual
cases today where solar is attractive economically, nor
does it encompass those who can't connect to the grid.
Here in teh Netherlands where i am, you could get the
solar installation almost for free, because of government grants,
so many people did it that the gov ran out of the allocated budget,
and is now drastically reducing subsidizing solar power.

Well, the question is, did the gov't get what it wanted, with the
subsidies that it did hand out? In other words, did it hand out 100
million Quatloos worth of subsidies, and get back _more_ than 100
million in benefits, such as reduction in the amount of non-renewable
energy usage, etc.

If so, then it seems to me that the program served its purpose and
should be continued, and even broadened. But then politics..

But it's a non-starter for better than 99 percent of the
people who can connect to the grid. The number of

[snip]

Unfortunatly there is not a lot of sun here...

Yes, that's another factor that should be considered in the overall
plan. less sun, less energy from your investment! Longer payback.

[snip]

But for most people who run
the numbers, solar is clearly a no win situation.

Well, if it was a win situation, then more of them would be installed.
I guess the proof of this statement is that few of them are installed in
urban areas, where most people live.

[snip]
JP