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  • http://www.mariahpower.com Amy Berry

    Great debate! While obviously we are a little biased to the wind side, we really think a smart investment is in both PV and wind. The two technologies are very complimentary to each other. I would like to note that wind can be flexible if you think of it in small wind terms and not just the big megawatt turbines.

  • David Wescott

    Thanks Amy – I think we all feel that both technologies offer important benefits and there are a lot of advances yet to come. We’re looking forward to continued leadership from you and others in the industry.

  • http://emilianojordan.com Emiliano

    Insulating buildings (efficiency) and wind. And a million dollars doesn’t get you anything these days. The song now would be “If I had a trillion dollars.”

  • http://www.jetsongreen.com Preston

    Great podcast … what are y’all using to record this?

  • David Wescott

    Hey Preston – we just used call graph to record a skype conference call. pretty simple, really…

  • Craig Druitt

    In L.A. Harbor those of us boaters who are using renewable power sources seem to be employing solar first and adding wind. As your podcast mentioned, a mix of suitable sources based on local environment is a smart choice. Your comment on thin-film got me excited, as it holds such promise in just about any local. Squeezing more power out of less movement and space is the critical mass needed for both.

  • http://thesolarpanelsforhome.com Issac Maez

    Now the sun is a bit lower in the sky my solar hot water panels don’t get hot enough quick enough . Two options to increase the temperature are. 1. A reflector to concentrate the heat from a couple of square metres down to a small heating coil.

  • http://emilianojordan.com Emiliano

    I guess that was too quick of an answer considering I’m “forced” into wind or solar. Answer is “it depends.” I’d chose solar in an urban environment. Roof top solar seems to me to solve a lot of problems. One is the obvious RE, but the second is there is less loss of energy than transporting electricity hundreds of miles from a power (be it wind, solar, coal, nuclear) plant.

    For a rural area with a fairly constant wind I’d probably go wind for it’s (from what I can gather) easier maintenance.