re: #85 Killgore Trout

Until somebody invents a properly functioning solar panel. …

Um… current PV solar is “properly functioning”.

The reality is that only a certain percentage of the photons falling in any given area will give up their existence to move electrons around in a material, in most cases silicon.

Incremental improvements have come about and the move to using amorphous form of Si vs. crystalline, various doping, etc. are useful but small improvements.

PV solar is just more expensive than thermal solar or the use of ancient photosynthetic solar (i.e., fossil fuels), because the material used is more difficult to manufacture.

Besides, Saudi’s population is exploding so quickly that their per capita wealth has likely peaked. The increased internal consumption of energy will eventually push out the foreign market.