[Lionheartusa1]

If solar energy were a profitable industry it would not have to be subsidized ,,, it's been in the market place since the Carter years and beyond . If it were a true value to replace current energy systems it would be selling like hotcakes and the incentive to invest in and buy the systems would be market driven ,, but it isn't and that's the reality . The long term maintenance on these systems tend to minimize the advantage over traditional energy costs .

[decimon]

If solar energy were a profitable industry it would not have to be subsidized...

We'll know the time has come when we see people hauling panels out of Home Depot.

[ApplegateRanch]

If solar energy were a profitable industry it would not have to be subsidized ,,, it's been in the market place since the Carter years and beyond .

In Concord, CA, ca1966 I drove a Post Office truck daily past Varian Aerograph. They had a large readerboard sign, stating that they were on the verge ('any day now!') of making a breakthrough that would make their solar cells cheap, efficient, and competitive with grid power.

Regularly, there were puff pieces in the Bay Area press about them, touting the same claims.

Now, 45 years later and counting, it still hasn't happened; and Varian is no longer in the solar cell business.