Letters to the Editor
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Rainy Climates & Where Solar's The Best
Solar's not as practical when you go north of California. On the other hand, it's more practical than it looks at first glance in the sunbelt. That's because solar typically reaches its peak energy output when demand is at the absolute highest in warm climates. Since the price of electricity varies throughout the day based on current demand, in the sunbelt a solar array can be kicking out the most juice precisely when the cost per kw/h of electricity hits a peak several multiples of the base rate.
We also have enormous issues with transmitting enough power during periods of peak demand, let alone generating it. A widescale deployment of solar arrays throughout the sunbelt on homes and businesses would alleviate the need for costly infrastructure upgrades by distributing power generation straight to the source of demand.
Note that as the efficiency of solar increases and the cost declines, it'll become more and more practical in colder, darker, wetter climates as well. Places like New York City also have high peak demands during the summer which solar should eventually help address.
Unfortunately, solar's not going to do much to help with oil prices.