The Greening of Solar Power

Alternative energy sounds so appealing. Replace all that dirty old technology with new "green" technology and we have a wonderful, no muss no fuss future.

But I see a green nightmare:


The above is from a post on the blog NoTricksZone with the title "Weed-Covered, Neglected Solar Park: 20 Acres, $11 Million, Only One And Half Years Old!".

I'm no expert in solar power, but I would bet that you get a lot less power generation when your panels are shaded by weeds. Your fixed costs are fixed, but your income is variable depending on sun vs. cloud and this -- surprise! -- need to maintain a solar power plant by chopping down weeds and doing various maintenance tasks. I'm guessing that all those optimistic scenarios about "low cost solar power" ignore the problems with weeds and the costs of maintenance.