First off, let’s get rid of this foolish idea of “renewable” energy. Energy is not renewable, there are laws. Ones that no fool politician can change, or apparently understand. Once energy is used, it cannot be renewed. Once light hits a photovoltaic (PV), is converted to electricity, which is then used to light a bulb, the energy is gone. We cannot use the light from the bulb to cause the PV to create electricity which then powers the bulb.
Outside of nuclear, geothermal, and I suppose to an extent tidal, all energy on earth comes from the sun. The years biomass that went into producing oil was created by the sun’s energy. Wind is created by uneven warming of the earth’s surface by solar radiation. Solar PV is simply an attempt to capture that radiation early in the cycle before other processes concentrate the energy. It will always be the least energy dense. Although energy extraction methods and conversion losses will impact the useable energy from each source.
One other thing. All that solar energy they now hope to capture upon impingement, wasn’t just sitting around smoking cigarettes, it was being used for some purpose by the earth. It was used to grow crops, to warm the surface for animal life, to power chemical and biologic changes in the soil, etc. We capture enough of the impinging radiation and the disruptions will be noticed.
