Last month, I was having a discussion with a fellow think tanker about all the incredible mega Solar Projects going on around the country. I happen to live out in California, and out in the deserts of Southern California there are a tremendous number of extremely huge solar projects where construction is already underway. Some of these projects are in the 1500 to 5500 MW range, and quite frankly that's just enormous really.

Nevertheless, as our think tank started to study this increase in solar projects, we also noted that there is a lot of really good technology on the horizon which is not commercially viable yet, but the science is definitely there. These new technologies and all the research backing them up could show solar efficiencies of 10 to 15% more than the solar efficiencies of the plants being built right now. Now then, I ask the question; shouldn't we wait for five more years until all these new research studies are completed?

In other words let's go ahead and cancel all of the mega solar projects being built right now, and wait for the next generation of technology to emerge. Once it is commercially feasible, who knows, we may even have 25% more efficiency for solar energy. And also another point I'd like to make and that is that solar power is already 50% inefficient - and you may be saying what do I mean? What I'm trying to say is at night the Sun doesn't shine, and that's half of the 24 hour period that we call one day. See that point?

It's not that I am against solar power, it is an intriguing concept, it is just that I think humans can do better than this, and I'm pretty certain our current coal-fired plants can simply be upgraded to clean coal technologies preventing all the CO2 exhaust that everyone is worried about. And we have something like 200 years worth of coal at our current rate of usage. And that's already in proven reserves. Why not continue to use coal for now, and wait for the next generation of solar efficiencies?

From a pure business standpoint what I'm saying is the correct answer, but unfortunately we have too many global warming alarmists that are treating all of this alternative energy like some sort of religion. That's the wrong way to play it and that will cause irrational decision-making, and of course the law of unintended consequences which we are already seeing as our energy and electricity prices are beginning to skyrocket from all the subsidies, tax advantages, increased regulations on fossil fuels, and mandates. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 23,000 articles was a lot of work - because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off..

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