On Apr 8, 9:00*am, "Jay Honeck" wrote:

Uh oh -- thread creep. *Good story, though.

Back during the LAST "energy crisis" in the 1970s, solar collectors sprouted
on rooftops like daisies. *Everyone wanted to harness all that "free"
energy.

Now, you say, could these not be made more durable today? *You bet they
could, but at a cost that would amaze you. *
One day these problems may be overcome. * Jay Honeck

Jay, Ill try to get things a little more on topic. The airport where I
keep one of my airplanes is run almost entirely on Solar power (There
is a small diesel engine for the well) . Most of the equipment ,
including the batteries, was purchased government surplus and the
system has payed for itself several times over. As an interesting side
note, all the hangars on the field are secondhand . I am 30 minutes
from a major metro area and I pay a buck fifty a month for a hangar.
FB