Monday, February 11, 2013

Where The Sun Don't Shine

(Or another butt load of Faux FOX Facts)

US sunlight vs. Germany, map by NRE.

This is a map of solar power potential — i.e., it’s a map of how much sunlight the US gets and how much Germany gets — you’ll note that Germany is worse than the entire US, other than Alaska and Seattle. Media Matters does note that while Germany has far less potential than the US for solar energy, Germany leads the world in solar power production. In other words, it’s not because they get more sunlight. Heck, even Alaska gets more sunlight than Germany!
From the network that brought you WMD in Iraq, we learn that sure, solar power works in wacky places like Germany, but it would never work in the US because the Germans, bronze gods that they are, get far more sunlight than gloomy, cold, rainy America. (Spoiler alert: It’s a lie.)
Anyone who has either lived in Europe, or spent time outside of the Mediterranean parts of Europe, knows that sunshine over here happens, but it’s hardly a daily occurrence. Please, take my word for it! In November, we put the laundry out to dry and then maybe if we're lucky, we can take it down in March.I grew up in Michigan and cold as it might be in winter, we had many crisp clear brilliant days between the blizzards.  Especially in northern Europe. There’s a reason the Germans go to Greece for summer vacation, and not the other way around.
 To suggest that Germany has more sunshine than the US is laughable, but Fox always counts on the idiot factor from their viewers. Even then, their viewing numbers are in decline.
How could anyone think that Germany has more sun than the US, where we have sunny states such as Florida, Arizona? (And don’t rely on my anecdotes, check out the map above.) The Fox News guest really misses the mark in a way that only can be experienced on Fox News:
Joshi’s jaw-dropping response: “They’re a smaller country, and they’ve got lots of sun. Right? They’ve got a lot more sun than we do.” In case that wasn’t clear enough for some viewers, Joshi went on: “The problem is it’s a cloudy day and it’s raining, you’re not gonna have it.” Sure, California might get sun now and then, Joshi conceded, “but here on the East Coast, it’s just not going to work.”
The background behind this "discussion"becomes more apparent when you realize the enormous success Germany has gained in a very short time since they made the commitment to eliminating Nuclear Power and concentrating on Green Energy. Just start googling solar power and Germany and the evidence is there in front of your eyes! It's a win/win situation for the German people with the worlds biggest and most efficient solar energy plants on the planet as well as subsidies and help for everyone who wants to participate. There is already a huge grid program in use and expanding rapidly (which I wrote about here about a year ago, it's only grown incrementally since then!) that allows the consumers to generate their own power and sell it to the state in the grid.
Why does Fox wants to badmouth subsidies to the solar industry? Gosh, could it be that letting people know the truth might somehow threaten the billions of subsidies their buddies in the MultiNational Energy Industry and the wasteful and polluting American coal, oil and nuclear giants are given by the tax payers every year?
The oil industry has been around for over a century, so it strikes me as odd that Fox is okay with propping up Big Oil, but howls after a few failures with the US solar industry investments. Oil is a path to nowhere since it’s becoming more expensive to drill and has a limited supply.
Call me after 100 years of solar subsidies and then start complaining. but until then, give it a rest, Fox. (Then again, Fox is simply looking after the GOP corporate masters, as it always does.)
Her's a pretty little animated map, not really relative to the article but it is a record of the fluctuations of relative temperatures on the planet. Remember, what ever FAUX News claims, human activity does have an impact on the planet and our weather.

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