Paper-Thin Solar Makes Any Surface Photovoltaic

The United States is not behind in terms of R&D funding. I'm pretty sure the United States has spent more on solar R&D than any other nation and the United States has consistently led the world in solar technology. The United States is behind in solar manufacturing not solar R&D.

And no one who has paid attention to the Biden administration would say the Biden administration cares about natural gas prices being low as they consistently take actions that increase natural gas prices.

Bear in mind that China has like, no oil[0] or gas[1] at all. Their investments into renewables is kind of a life of death situation, not just for the world, but the PLA specifically, who would likely monopolize domestic oil production in any military engagement.

Also worth mentioning that Beijing sits on one side of a mountain range, and the other side is arid desert. It's kind of a no brainer to drop solar panels there and tramsmit power to the nearby megatropolis.

> Of course a boom in solar PV installation in the USA would pull the rug out from under natural gas prices

Fracking already did this[2]. And solar doesn't make sense in many places in the US. You want somewhere dry and bright, which cuts off the pacific northwest, and most of the north*. You also want to supplement solar with something that will cool off your home in the evening, run your oven, and keep you warm at night. Which natural gas can actually do[3], so even proponents of solar should consider them at least temporary allies.

In contrast, wind seems to already be making 10 percent of the US demand[4], versus solars 2 percent. This is where the subsidies are going, and given how much reliable wind there is in tornado alley, will likely continue growing once subsidies expire. In the mean time, we can continue to import subsidized solar from china and focus on higher margin silicon applications. ^_^

    [0]: https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/crude-petroleum/reporter/chn
    [1]: https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/natural-gas-liquefied/reporter/chn
    [2]: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/rngwhhdm.htm
    [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaking_power_plant
    [4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_United_States

*except for the southern half of Minnesota, apparently

There are purpose-built tools for that sort of thing, whether pen and paper under a fisheye lens (https://www.solarpathfinder.com/), an app, or a dedicated device like https://www.solmetric.com/buy210.html

Edit: You can also do it with aerial photogrammetry and smart software, like https://sunroof.withgoogle.com/ and https://www.opensolar.com/accuracy

Either method would you get accurate enough readings in a few minutes (if you're onsite) or seconds (if you just use the software method). The earth's orbit and tilt is relatively predictable so really you just have to do the math (or let the software do it) to figure out how local obstructions (trees, other buildings, hills on the horizon, etc.) influence your shading.

No you are incorrect. There are 2 maximum masses: the one from the manufacturer and then the legal mass limit. Legal mass limit = MIN(3.5t, max mass according to manufacturer) or more precisely MIN(max_mass_you_are_certified_for, may_mass_according_to_manufacturer).

It is not about + or - 10 kg. But things definitely add up. 10kg here - 10kg there.

Solar panels is something that is under the control of whoever buys the vehicle. You have almost no influence of the vast majority of what makes up the van.

You also risk insurance issues when your car is over weight.

Believe me - weight is definitely an issue.

The Republican party in the united states is so anti-green energy, they removed solar panels from the white house in the 80s, shortly after they were installed, just because they didn't like them. They also blamed wind turbines for the extreme grid failure in Texas last year, and it is a current talking point that "wind and solar can't ever work" and that wind turbines kill so many birds that we can't possibly ever use them large scale. They have pitched a fit any time the government attempts to hand a small subsidy out for green energy.

Meanwhile the Democrats have wonderful Manchin, who stops you from doing ANYTHING to help the country unless you include some stupid kickback to like five coal barons in west virginia, despite the entire coal industry employing fewer people than plenty of industries we don't give handouts to. Coal is dying a perfectly reasonable death because it's just not cost competitive with anything, even though we ignore the most expensive part of it, the pollution. Despite that, west virginia keeps a stranglehold on the nations energy policy because 60k absurdly entitled adults are convinced that what their daddy did for a job that killed him in his 60s should be a career forever with no changes and they shouldn't have to adapt in any way to the modern world that DOESN'T want to poison them. When hilary clinton said the country would pay for them to learn new skills and get new careers, they responded by pretty heavily voting for the guy that said they could just go back to digging dirty rocks out of the ground. The entire state is somehow (it's propaganda, literally, from local coal companies) convinced that the modern world is impossible without coal, as if it is still the 1800s, ignoring that most of the world hates coal, always hated using coal, and has always switched to less grimy fuel sources as soon as it became cost competitive, which it is.

And don't give me any of this "wah wah don't bring partisan politics into this" because green energy policy is 100% partisan, with no reason, in the united states, and ignoring that, or trying to "both sides same" this issue is simply delusional.

IMO, the US federal government should drop a trillion dollars on a federal run solar power company, who's only mandate is to buy as much damn solar generation as possible, and sell it to local consumers as cheaply as possible, and "but it might be cloudy some days" problems should be solved by buying 10x as much solar as "needed".