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PUBLISHER’S LETTER www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.) Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Peter Smith Ross Tester Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc, VK2ZLO Rick Walters Reader Services Ann Jenkinson Advertising Enquiries Leo Simpson Phone (02) 9979 5644 Fax (02) 9979 6503 Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Rodney Champness, VK3UG Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Bob Young SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49 003 205 490 All material copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Hannanprint, Noble Park, Victoria. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $69.50 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the subscription page in this issue. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 8, 101 Darley St, Mona Vale, NSW 2103. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9979 5644. Fax (02) 9979 6503. E-mail: silchip<at>siliconchip.com.au Is our electricity too cheap for solar to succeed? Our feature article on solar power in the March 2002 issue certainly stirred up a lot of interest. We are still getting letters on the subject. Some people have strongly disagreed with the article while others have generally agreed while taking issue with our stance on the Greenhouse effect. Funnily enough, quite a few people cannot appreciate or totally discount the concept of “payback period” for a substan­tial investment in solar panels. They equate it with any other household purchase. We don’t go along with this at all since, apart from a general warm fuzzy feeling about “doing the right thing by the environment”, solar panels don’t actually increase your comfort level in everyday living and they certainly don’t have a big payback, no matter how you do the sums. Since we are of this opinion, people then automatically assume that not only are we against the concept of installing solar cells but we are such “red-necks” that we don’t care about the environment. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have written many editorials about energy wastage over the years and I still think that we as a nation are very wasteful in our use of energy and raw materials. The real problem concerning solar cells is that in general, our electricity prices are too cheap, and this applies particu­larly to domestic off-peak hot-water rates. It is this cheapness of electricity which results in such long payback periods for solar cell installations in metropolitan areas. There is another way of looking at the relative cost of our electricity. Just compare your quarterly bills for electricity and telephone, including your mobile. When you get right down to it, no-one would argue that telephones are more important to everyday comfort and welfare than electricity. Just think of winter heating, electric blankets, hot showers in the mornings, ease of cooking, refrigeration and all those other benefits which come as a result of having a reliable electricity supply and which we take for granted. Yet I’ll wager that virtually everyone who reads this editorial pays far more for their telephone services than they do for electricity. Consider also the enormous investment and in­frastructure we have in producing electricity, compared with that for telephones. Looked at in this way, surely electricity is relatively very cheap while phones and mobiles are far too expen­sive. Until solar panels become a lot cheaper or electricity rates go up quite a lot, solar panels will not be a practical investment for more homes in metropolitan areas of Australia. Leo Simpson ISSN 1030-2662 * Recommended and maximum price only. 2  Silicon Chip www.siliconchip.com.au