Why Fossil Fuel Companies Hate Solar So Much

June 15th, 2012 by Zachary Shahan

We’ve covered these points below (including the specific case study discussed) numerous times before, but this is another really good, short write-up of the story from Jeremy Bloom over on sister site Red, Green, and Blue, so I thought it’d be a good idea to share this one here on CleanTechnica as well to try to make the points below just a little clearer and help them reach perhaps a few more eyes. Here’s the full repost:

Why big oil hates solar energy so much (via Red Green & Blue)

It’s not just that solar energy is a competitor to big oil, coal, and gas – it’s that solar cuts into big oil’s biggest profit center. In arguing against solar, they’re always happy to tell you, “The sun doesn’t shine at night, heh heh heh.” But nighttime isn’t when extra power is…

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Tags: peak power prices, peak solar, quickies, solar brings down cost of electricity

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.

Frangicea

Why PPA outfits do not use PV Shingles? Guess they don’t know how!
- http://cleantechnica.com/ Zachary Shahan
  
  what do you mean by PPA outfits? solar shingles are typically cost competitive with conventional PV, i think.
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Don W Mayfield

Big oil is investing in solar.
- Bob_Wallace
  
  Do you have some specific information to share?
  
  Chevron is into geothermal is a major way. They are the world’s largest geothermal player and major in Indonesia (where geothermal can easily tap into the ‘ring of fire’).
  
  When we see fossil fuel companies start crabbing their way into renewables then I think we see a tipping point. Oil is going to make major, major money over the next couple of decades, coal may have a shorter future, but the world has started a move away from fossil fuels.. The smart companies will anticipate the transition and shift their capital to operations which continue their profit streams.
mk1313

Corporate greed, so what else is new?
- Hope
  
  You and a few thousand friends put panels on your roof and go a long way to kicking them in the bollocks. Rectifying corporate greed isn’t usually quite so simple.
  - mk1313
    
    Got a few tens of thousands kicking around? I don’t.
    - http://ronaldbrak.blogspot.com.au/ Ronald Brak
      
      At German or Australian prices tens of thousands of dollars aren’t needed for a point of use PV system. And if you have no money to spare it is possible to lease a solar system and pay for it with savings from your electricity bill, but just how easy that is to arrange depends on your location.
    - Bob_Wallace
      
      If you don’t have the money or credit rating to purchase a solar system then leasing is an option.
      
      It’s not as good a deal as owning, but if you don’t have the financial wherewithal to purchase then leasing is the next best thing.
    - mk1313
      
      Leasing is not an option here and there is a major hurdle in getting OPG to hook you up to the system. Apparently the system can’t handle the extra power.
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        Then get in contact with companies that are doing solar leasing. Let them know about a potential market opportunity.
        
        And ” the system can’t handle the extra power” is bull. What is almost certainly happening is that utility companies are avoiding moving into the modern age. Can’t handle the extra power is like saying they can’t handle more demand.