'Getitrt2' pid='61476' datel Wrote:Thanks, admin, for addressing the "physics" part of putn's claims I figured were bogus, and I guess I'll comment on the other part. Anyone who says the EPA is just "a political animal" and does not have numerous scientists and other technical personnel and have some important non-political objectives, I would say does not know what he's talking about or is expressing an ideological political viewpoint without caring about the facts. The EPA has accomplished a tremendous amount of good for this country that has benefited the lives of our people, even if one does not agree with every single thing about it.
Well, to refine the point, these physical claims are not bogus as such, however:
- There are ways around the physical limits (new materials, new cell designs, etc), like the example shows microlenses to concentrate light and you get well beyond that theoretical limit, or using more of the light spectrum, etc. etc.
- It isn't really all that relevant a metric. What matters is cost/watt and there are so many ways to reduce that. For instance, you might have materials that give you low efficiency, but are so cheap that the cells are still interesting. For instance, the cells from First Solar are generally a bit less efficient as its a different tech, but they are considerably cheaper to manufacture so they can still compete (very well, as per the latest quarterly figures).
Insofar as regulation is concerned, there is usually some trade-off. If you regulate to little (or not enforce), you end up somewhere in northen China or New Delhi where the air really is toxic. Regulate too much, or too specific, and you can stifle industries.
What is I think more important is to regulate smart. One way to do that is to set targets and let companies figure out how to comply, this can act as a trigger for innovation and even whole new industriesat the same time you address a market externality (pollution), killing several birds with one stone. An example is the targets for mileage for cars, which has been an important trigger in improving mileage of combustion cars and even been instrumental in bringing about the electric car industry.