July 26, 2009
In discussing the pros and cons of various energy alternatives, the issue of cost inevitably and appropriately arises.
Renewable energy technologies, most notably wind and solar, are often derided as "too expensive" given the alternatives. About a year ago, I made a comment along those lines on television and received a scathing e-mail from a woman who argued that, since she had photovoltaic panels on her house, it was clearly not too expensive.
Upon some reflection, I realized that there are subtleties in the issues surrounding energy that are often lost in the 30-second sound bite exchange that passes for discourse these days. Central to this discussion is the difference between the terms affordable and economical.
Read the rest of the article HERE*Posted by Shelby. "This article gives a nice, concise description of the concept of 'externalities'...an important consideration as we weigh economic pros and cons of our policy decisions."