
Solar Power: Lots of Jobs per KWH Is Bad, Not Good - jeffreyrogers
https://www.econlib.org/archives/2017/05/solar_power_lot.html
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jdblair
Most workers in solar are needed to install new systems. Once a system is
installed it will require only minimal scheduled maintenance for the next 25
years. After installation the system _is_ wealth.

Further, building lots of small generation systems (e.g., rooftop solar) will
inherently require more labor than building a few large generation systems
(e.g., traditional power plants). One can argue that distributed power
generation is a benefit, as it reduces the need for increased distribution
capacity.

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bwanab
Yep. That article was spouting disingenuous nonsense in the best possible
interpretation I could read into it.

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ska
I suspect (but don't know) that you can replace "article" with "site"
comfortably there...

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elago
What's wrong with that site? I've been listening to the podcast hosted there,
Econtalk, for the last year+.

Do they have some bias in the grander scheme of economics? The guests and
topics always seem extremely varied, and the host actually asks challenging
and interactive questions to the guests.

~~~
ska
No idea about the podcast, I'll give a listen though based on your comments.

My comment was on reviewing a few of the articles, the sloppiness exhibited in
this one was common. I guess it's more a preaching-to-the-converted sort of
area than trying to do a good job of presenting arguments.

Perhaps I didn't give it a fair shake - I'm definitely not one to enjoy
watching people grinding their favorite axes, particularly if they are
uncharitable to other viewpoints while simultaneously presenting their own
assumptions as canon.

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scotty79
If two ways of achieving same thing cost the same then the way with more
employment ahould be preferred at least until we grow out of the notion that
you need excuse of work to not let someone die of hunger or lack of shelter.

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aplummer
Wouldn’t installing PV on people’s homes be more similar to building the power
poles/ infrastructure that already exists for coal, and not just running a
plant?

This chart doesn’t break down solar maintenance and solar construction.

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hknust
I hate to use the term but this is fake news. There is no analysis or
breakdown of the numbers. Just quoting raw numbers and then drawing
comparisons is misleading at best.

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jacknews
He needs to go back and do econ 101 again, he's conflating two different
things.

If coal, gas, and solar workers all quite tomorrow, the "power" from coal and
gas would go out, but most solar installations would keep on producing
regardless.

ie, the majority of solar workers are building capacity, not operating the
system.

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andor
Lots of jobs per kWh are only bad if you're a large energy provider looking
for maximum profitability. It doesn't mean that solar power is going to be
more expensive for consumers. Consumers buy a bunch of panels and pay for
installation and maintenance. Given that there is enough sun around, those
panels will eventually pay themselves off.

Creating those jobs is also great because it spreads the wealth way more
evenly, leading to a healthier economy.

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howard941
[2017]

> why do sound economic analysis when you can parrot a junk study that
> supports your political view?

Quoted from a comment on the OP and getting it right.

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geggam
Frankly more jobs is a good thing. Where I live there are many people looking
for work / barely scraping by.

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saas_co_de
This is a blog post based on a slide from the American Enterprise Institute
with no supporting documentation - not exactly a highly credible source.

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cestith
Building out new infrastructure is more labor intensive than operating
existing infrastructure, more on this story at 11.

