>>>Solar energy could provide approximately 10% of the required energy but at 120% of the cost!
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>>It took me a while to spot this one.
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>>How do they calculate the cost of solar energy? It's simply incomparable, because you only have the initial investment, and maybe some minimal maintenance later.
>
>I think it has to do with the sheer volume of initial investment to provide the same energy you would get from other forms. Four panels on top of your roof are not going to heat your house. Now, if your roof was made of these panels, and your basement was one huge energy cell, and you lived in a sunny climate, you might have a shot, but paying back the loan on the intitial investment might take some help from your grandkid's grandkids.

Loan? Not in your wildest dreams. I'd take a loan only when there's no other way.

Interestingly (just googled it out a bit), the price currently seems to be something like $6 per watt, or around $4.20 for second-hand panels. If it produces for ten hours a day, at the output of 190W (as I've found one of latest models does), it will produce 1.9 KW, which would save you about $0.10... Assuming the price of a KWh is about $0.05, it means that a panel may pay for itself after 20 years at these prices.

Really, not good enough, not yet. But then, while I googled for it, first thing I noticed is the news about shortage of panels (http://www.solar-electric.com/). As with any other technology, I expect the demand will drive the production numbers up, costs down, and price closer to affordable.