"The more I find out, the less I know."

Tue - July 31, 2007 at 11:50 AM in

Scary Statistic


Here's a shocking and scary statistic from a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation:

The money spent so far on the war in Iraq (about $500 billion) would have been enough to install enough photovoltaic panels to supply about 5% of the electricity the United States consumes (at today's retail prices for installed PV systems).

Spending the money on solar cells would have improved our energy security. The war in Iraq? Not so much.

Committing half a trillion dollars to solar power implies something akin to a Manhattan Project for renewable energy. If we can afford to pour half a trillion dollars down a rathole in the Middle East, we sure should be able to afford to get serious about weaning ourselves from fossil fuels.

So what's wrong with this picture?

Posted at 11:50 AM | Permalink | | |


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