Most of us in the U.S. are already helping to foot the bill for inefficient/unreliable "renewable" energy.
Additionally, paying more for "renewable" electricity sources will do nothing to stop global warming, global cooling or global inbetweening.
I admit I'm not typical, but actually would pay more to benefit the earth. In 2006, I installed solar, at a time when I knew full well it wouldn't pay back my investment financially. So yes, I already did. But for a consumer, I note that solar is now actually cheaper than coal in an ideal area. I computed that the fully amortized cost of the kind of system that I have is about 7 cents (10 cents without incentives) per kWh (but we're in an ideal area for solar), if it were installed today. Of course, I installed it when prices were double what they are today, and paid in 2006 dollars. Still, no regrets.
Also, I live in California, and we get most of our electricity from Natural Gas. It's not renewable, but the point is that it costs more than coal, and is cleaner in some ways. If someone offered to lower my electric bill by building coals plants here, I'd say forget it, I'm good.
I live a long way from powerlines. It was cheaper for me to install solar than to hook up to the grid.
I did go to renewable, I don't pay a monthly bill, and I don't consider that silly.
No not one cent why?
1 We don't seem to have much warming, 16yrs without significant temperature rise.
2 By us stopping CO2 will not help, because the rest of the world is not going to stop, China India and other asian countries are trying hard to catch up with the west, our increased energy costs will just give them a bigger advantage over us, they already produce most our products anyway.
3 I am not convinced that a little warming is a bad thing, civilizations have mainly prospered during warm periods.
4 There is quite a lot evidence that CO2 is increasing plant biomass, improving crop yields, and greening the planet.
5 Increasing our energy costs is going to damage our economies, reduce employment, and lower our standards of living.
Antarcticice. this is one time I agree with you but you are talking about personal solar, which is entirely different from solar farms, even Anthony Watts has solar panels on his roof, and I would too except there is no provision for pay back of electricity produced here.
Average bill in UK has gone up by ￡600 ($900) per annum to pay for so-called "renewables", working class people are literally starving so the liberal intellectual chattering classes can feel good about their selves
They pontificate, we suffer..
Most of Canada gets it's energy from renewable resources. Namely hydroelectric. The province in which I live gets over 90% of their energy through this technique. Yet those provinces whose main source of energy is hydroelectric pay similar or less than those provinces whose main source is oil or coal. I'm fairly certain that, soon, other sources of clean energy will catch up. It depends on the initial cost of the infrastructure as well as the amount of energy produced. that being said, I would say nothing as I am already getting my energy through renewable resources.
And even if you can;t afford to put solar ion your own roof there is a increase in what are known as District energy systems. These are systems built to produce energy using renewable resources, such as geothermal, to power a small community that is tied into the national grid. The users will either produce more energy than they use, putting money back into the system as they sell it on the grid, or produce less, where they have to purchase energy from the grid. The amount of energy produced by the utility, of course, changes by season.
Nothing we are over charged now for every little thing and the company rakes in billions in profit.The earth will do as it will and no amount of money will change that.
It depends a lot on whether the government would support it.
If the government didn't help it would cost quite a lot more than fossil fuels.
I already have Green Mountain as my electricity provider. It is 100% wind energy. My rate is cheaper or as cheap as nearly every other provider available me. The other providers available to me use primarily coal, natural gas or nuclear for their energy source.
Literally speaking nothing, as in spite of deniers repeated claims solar doesn't work, I have a system on my roof (that has in the space of several years paid for itself. I effectively now pay nothing for electricity As averaged over the year it puts as much back into the grid as I use.
I don't know about the U.S. but here is Aus solar is now at parity with coal in term of price and as coal prices have risen, solar have progressively fallen to the point where with a one off government grant you can now have a 1.5Kw on your roof for ~2000Au dollars.
This has been so popular that over 1 million Australians now have solar on their roofs, that is 1 in 20 of the entire population, on this scale, day time power load for the entire country is markedly improved many went for larger systems than 1.5Kw, the money I had to pay was recovered in a bit over 3 years.
I know denier like to push the green energy doesn't work myth, but I know from personal experience that is certainly does, as do a good 1 million Australians, probably one of the reasons denier BS, doesn't play very well here.
It's pretty hard to convince people solar doesn't work by quoting obscure and vague studies when a huge portion of the population here only has to look at their power bills, to see they are saving considerable amounts of money, with systems that pay for themselves in 3-5 years.
I find it interesting that deniers keep trying to push this anti green energy message, when the many millions that now have solar know deniers are lying.
Would you pay another $100 per month? $1000? What is it worth to you? Note that things like solar are about 150% as expensive as coal, so just saying you would go to renewable energies and not pay more is silly.
Why should we pay anything for an unproven theory? That extra money would just go into the pockets of corrupt politicians, people like Al Gore and would do nothing to stop AGW.
This is how ridiculous as it can get.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/clai...
Notice, none of these politicians are using their money to reduce AGW, but they are surely using ours.
Oh boy monica, you'd let crackheads up in your house? You must not have anything of value. Why bother to have someone clean it, just walk through with a leaf blower, electric of course.
I would glad pay 10% for electricity more if fossil companies would stop raping the taxpayers through government subsidies of all sorts (which would save us much more than than that).
I would pay even more if those companies would get justifiably exposed for the outrageous anti-science lies which so many dupes have been brainwashed by.
http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument...
Nothing Why should I pay When its big companies in china,USA,India etc which is causing 90% of the pollution.
that's ridiculous.
fighting global warming is saving money
stop listening to conservative lies
Big Oil wants you to think GW is a myth
enough to pay 5 crackheads to clean my house
Nothing, my electricity bill is too high already.
who do you think pays for weather disasters?
nothing cause it's bullshit
