What energy source in our country is not heavily subsidized by the government? The Oil and Coal industry is subsidized (in real dollars) infinitely more than solar, yet they get none of the vitriol from conservatives. Don't we all want energy independence from the rest of the world? Any new energy source will have it's hiccups, but that doesn't mean we just stop investing in it. Bill Gates had a lot problems at first with the first Mac computers, but he didn't just stop because it was hard and he couldn't figure it out. Why does it have to be such a partisan issue to look down the road for future energy sources?

Does it make sense to give billions in tax breaks a year to Oil companies who are already making tens of billions of dollars? There is no long term future stability in fossil fuels, but there is a very bright future in an eclectic mixture of alternative fuels and energies (hopefully with the US at the forefront!). We've almost reached the maximum efficiency for fossil fuels, but we've only just begun with the other cutting edge renewable energy types. Between working on algae powered airplane engines and wave powered power stations in the open ocean, the possibilities are endless. There are a myriad of experimental ideas and they won't all be viable right away, but we have to at least try to ensure success down the road.

Governmental assistance in some way shape or form has been instrumental in almost all major inventions of the last 100 years. We need to be looking 50 years down the road, not just what the price of Crude will be next year. Where should the long term investment be? Renewable energy is the only way in a finite universe.

If we want to be a major player in the future of alternative energies, subsidies will be very important. The Chinese are putting 300% more capital into solar investment than we are, and if we let them get the leg up, we will be buying even more products from them. That is unless we can hit their leg before it gets up, but that's just kind of mean. They might get a bruise or something and that's just not cool.

I didn't see the letter to the editor from the young student that Harry the Prospector mentions...

Since when do we take one local High School kid's letter to the editor as something to use to scrutinize a major National issue? Of course the student won't have all of the facts (they're kids, not research scientists), and using that letter as a case against solar power is taking the easy way out. If you want a valid and coherent argument for the implementation of solar power, talk to an expert or somebody who knows what they are talking about. I could just as easily find a 10th grader's argument against Solar Power and eviscerate it with facts and figures that he/she would have no answer to. But that's not the point. The point is to move our country forward so we can find new technologies that will make us energy independent and not making fun of kids who are at least trying to understand a complex issue.

Right now, Solar Power is not the most cost effective form of electricity. That is not debatable and is well known in the industry. It is heavily subsidized and the price per watt of Solar vs Coal doesn't come close. With future investments, one day it can just as cost effective with the proper investment approach. But that is not the point. The point is that eventually we will run out of coal and it's important to invest in future technologies sooner rather than later. Just because it's not cost neutral now doesn't mean that it won't be down the road. Every major invention of the 20th century was heavily subsidized and if we took the short sighted approach of "if it doesn't pay off in 5 years, don't do it", we wouldn't have computers, nuclear energy, jet technology, the Snuggie (it took NASA 30 years to develop) or the internet.

The US has created almost all of the great technological inventions of the 20th century that were fostered through long term investments of primary, secondary and tertiary technologies (often through governmental subsidies) and if we want to stay on top, we need to continue those fruitful investments.

I for one am glad that a High School student is at least interested in new energies and not just playing video games or watching TV. Aren't you?

The faster we can stop arguing with each other about petty things, the faster we can actually accomplish somebody meaningful. Set politics aside and focus on creating a bright (maybe through solar power, eh?) future for America