Going solar

is a great fan of solar energy, in particular the photovoltaic kind --- silicon panels converting photons into electric currency. It's (1) conceptually simple, it's (2) pollution free (the footprint of the manufacturing of the panels aside), it's (3) the future, as economics of scale and technological progress make panels cheaper and more efficient, and, last but not least, it's (4) grating the Tea Party and its ilk, who cannot object.

We're not posting for the first time about this. From memory: solar energy will undercut the price of nuclear energy by 2014.

John Farrell has created a dynamic map as to the competitiveness of solar energy in the US electric grid. According to his calculation (the price of solar energy decreases 7% per year, the price of established grid energy rises by 2%), 2013 will be there first year when solar parity is reached someplace --- unsurprisingly in San Diego, California, where the long forgotten Herbert Marcuse learned to hate west coast hedonism.

Please pay attention. The world will need a new technology push to break out of its structural slump, and solar energy might be the ticket.

(Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)