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The German government would be making a much more effective global statement if it invested the resources it is putting into photovoltaics much more heavily into its (and European Union) foreign aid programs.

How many struggling communities in areas of the third world with MUCH better solar statistics for photovoltaics would benefit from such German investment?  The power generation of cells put into remote areas of Niger, Sri Lanka, India, etc ... would be significantly higher than what happens in Germany.  

Use these 'markets' as the incentive to push forward the German market place and strength in solar programs.

This would have a better effect long-term on helping developing nations develop along responsible paths and toward attacking global warming than putting major solar plants in Germany -- where it will generate a fraction of electricity per cell compared to what would happen elsewhere.

by BesiegedByBush (BesiegedByBushATyahooDOTcom) on Sun Jul 31st, 2005 at 03:30:14 PM EST
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Germany is financing such projects abroad. Just in the last week, I read of more such projects in China, Tunisia and Kenya (IIRC). The German foreign aid minister was were positive on this.

(However, all these advances are threatened: there will be early elections in Germany this September, and the likely winner conservatives are in cahoots with traditional electricity producers.)

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Sun Jul 31st, 2005 at 04:10:29 PM EST
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Yes -- I am aware that Germany is doing this -- AND THAT IS GREAT.  I just think that some of the large investments that Germany is making in solar power plants in Germany (believe a big one in Bavaria?) would be -- Euro for Euro -- much better invested in places with much better solar conditions.
by BesiegedByBush (BesiegedByBushATyahooDOTcom) on Sun Jul 31st, 2005 at 07:29:43 PM EST
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Well, on one hand, the money invested is to the largest part that of individuals installing PV on their own rooftop - and feed-in tariffs (see my reply to Jérôme) spread the costs to all German electricity consumers, without state mediation (no federal subsidy). (BTW, the largest photovoltaic solar power plant currently under construction, one in Bavaria, is just 10 MW.)

On the other hand, the difference in solar conditions is not as big as commonly assumed: the Sun's angle changes through the day and due to seasons on both places, the solar panel can be aligned for the best angle at the given latitude*; so only weather and higher atmospheric absorption at lower angles remains. Note: even under a clouded sky, absorbing diffuse light, modern solar cells achieve some 20-40% of peak power. From a very good place in India (2000 kWh/year with 1 kW) to a bad one in Northern Germany (800 kWh/year with 1 kW), there is only a 60% reduction.

Now, since import of electricity from distant areas like North Africa would entail significant losses, in the end the reduction of German CO2 emissions is possibly better done at home (Euro for Euro).

* To put it another way: one downsize doesn't come Euro for Euro, but in the form of used-up land area. At high latitudes, solar panels have to be erected at steep angles, demanding larger distances between rows of solar panels along the north-south axis. Of course, for rooftop installations, this doesn't hold.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Mon Aug 1st, 2005 at 06:06:56 AM EST
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