Debunking the Debunker: Epic Derailing of a Climate Change Denier
You guys are gonna love this. Some “Unknown Conservative” blogger decided that an article Putting Solar Myths to Shame, written by CalFinder’s own Brittany Mauriss and Taylen Peterson, was fit for debunking. He or she (he from here on out—an educated guess) did so in perfect Rush Limbaugh fashion, full of coarse words, suspicious sound bites and skewed logic. While I’d often disregard such antics as the desperate pedantry of a dying breed, sometimes when you’re singled out, you have to fight back. So here it is: our response to one Climate Change denier.
Each link below holds it own myth, so click through to move to the next page:
- Solar only works in hot areas
- More pollution comes from manufacturing panels than is offset by solar energy
- Solar is too expensive
- Solar can’t meet the nation’s energy needs
- The Sahara Desert could power Europe
- Solar is too unreliable
- Create your own panel with DIY sites
Please feel free to comment, in favor or opposition, to any point given below. Here’s to open dialogue!
#1 – Myth: Solar systems only work in really hot areas of the world
We’ve taken screen-shots of the original myth-buster answers and his responses. Below each is our rebuttal.
The point is not that solar could be the dominant source of energy in all climates around the world, but rather that it serves a legitimate function and is viable in any climate. Simply look at use of solar panels in Antarctica by government scientists, for example. Some locations are best for wind, some geothermal (see Iceland or East Africa), and some solar power.
Of course, weather plays a factor. Again, Unknown Conservative is missing the point. Different solar power systems are conducive to different climates with different weather patterns. But designed wisely, a solar system can be beneficial in any climate—solar thermal systems in climates that reach “two degrees above zero” utilize a propylene glycol (anti-freeze) solution to protect against freezing and enable the system to operate even in the cold. Admittedly, the system will work best on a hot, sunny day, but it will still work otherwise. And solar thermal systems, unlike many of their PV cousins, can provide solar energy on cloudy days, as the sun is still transmitting heat. PV panels, however, work MORE efficiently the cooler it is—a good reason some innovators are working to marry the two technologies. See here and here for examples.<
Germany is the world leader in solar power, which certainly makes up a small percentage of Germany’s total power production (coal still being number one), but coal has had a 100-year head start, and to ignore solar’s growth is to be ignorant and unattractively dismissive. In 1990, photovoltaics provided just 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh) of electricity to Germany’s national grid, according to Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. By 2009, that total had increased to 6,200 GWh of PV and counting. That’s a 6,200% increase in less than 20 years!
Solar power may never provide all the energy for a cloudy country like Germany, but it will, based on the country’s aggressive promotion of the technology today, provide a significant portion. Already, combined with other resources, renewable energy contributes over 16 percent of total energy consumption in Germany.
Posted on August 17th in Solar Information by Dan.
August 18th, 2010 at 9:25 am
I am pro-solar, pro-wind, pro-renewables, pro-energy efficiency, pro-recycling and I am pro-Rush , pro-America . 100% against the enemy fraud King oumgbama, Pelosi, Reid, communism and izlamic supremacy.
I drive a hybrid, a bicycle (when possible) and I am energy efficient to the max. So there ! Another myth busted.
By ignorantly painting the world black and white, you paint yourself into a corner.
BTW, I am not a republican nor a real blind idiot democrat.
August 18th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
We’re not trying to paint the issue B&W at all…just this one example of a single conservative closing his/her eyes to the world. In no way are we saying that all conservatives think or act this way. I am very happy that you’re pro-renewable energy. Despite anyone’s beliefs on climate change, it just makes sense to move toward alternative energy. It cuts down on pollution in the air we all breathe, it reduces our dependency on foreign oil and that finicky group OPEC, takes money that trickles down to extremists in that region away, and is a safer option (no heading miles offshore for drilling or fear of being trapped in a cave with no escape)! Thanks for your input, always appreciated.
August 20th, 2010 at 9:59 am
I posed this comment to the conservative’s blog:
Those pennies you pay per watt of electricity? Those are artificially low. Those prices are kept down by some 70 billion in subsidies to the fossil fuel industries. Most of that money goes to oil, to keep gas prices artificially low (and oil companies profits artificially high).
The subsidies for green energy are minuscule compared to the money this country is hemorrhaging into burning more hydrocarbons. Which is completely unnecessary since we can get all the power we need free from the sun.
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:56 pm
How anyone can proudly state they’re “pro-Rush” is beyond me….
September 6th, 2010 at 9:36 am
This is definitely a sensitive and passionate topic. But for the original article at hand, Taylen’s myth debunkings don’t require global warming to be a reality. They don’t require that we are adding and must offset any percentage of emissions. Preparing against such things is just a nice—nay, _awesome_—side effect of using a cleaner energy.
Forget names, forget political lines, forget any sort of labels. If the end result is power _and_ a cleaner place to live and breathe, even by 1.5% or .75% or 98% or .001%, I’d say we’re doing something right. A lot of somethings.
I posted a longer comment at ol’ no-name’s, but this is the gist of it.
September 6th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Glad to see the troops rally! Thanks for your help in debunking, fellow solar advocates! Ken, you have an excellent point. The cheap fossil fuels is only because government is footing most of the bill to keep it cheap for everyone. Nim, you nailed the gist of the story. Despite your beliefs on global warming, why not use an energy source that won’t run out until the sun goes out (at which point it won’t matter because it’s taking Earth with it)!