What the heroin industry can teach us about solar power (BBC)

[Meredith Poor + 898]

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53450688

Includes picture of solar panels piled three stories high in a market in Lashkar Gah. Growth in solar utilization is doubling every year.

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

Beautifying the desert, killing unbelievers with poison for profit. Win win win

[markslawson + 1,061]

Solar power works very well in such circumstances - unfortunately. Only has to work some of the time and what ever power you can get is better than no power.. The opium growers may well be the main beneficiaries of the PV madness reducing prices on panels..

[Prometheus1354 + 178]

Well this should make for an interesting conversation at Advert firms   

{Eco's} "See, See!!!  We told you Solar is the way to go!  Look, Look at the prosperity it brings"!!

The Advert firm: "Uhhh, yeah.  Guys, you need to take a real hard look at the end user and the 'commodity' they're producing".

{Eco's} "What? This is driving a steak into the heart of EVIL Oil companies!! (joyous clapping and singing)  This is proof we are Right and the EVIL Oil companies are Wrong"!!

Ad Firm "Well as we were saying, the rise in solar has driven a Massive spike in addictions, from the opium."

{Eco's} "Well Better that we aren't 'addicted' too EVIL Oil"!!!

[Moral compass here] Be careful what you wish for, it just might make things worse...

**On a side note as the 'Water' person in me couldn't ignore this point. The influx of solar power precipitates the growth in the Opium trade. Which causes a migration of development into areas before not possible economically. This has resulted in a massive draw down in the water table. On average by 3 meters per year.  In such an arid region, it won't be long and those people will loose everything when the water runs out.  Now, you say and rightfully that it means the Opium 'dries up'...  But it also means the crops that Aren't Opium dry up an die too.

[JoMack + 549]

So, was it China dumping solar panels into the U.S. that brought down Solyndra, or ...?  400 square feet of panels = $18,000.  When the tax credit goes, will solar be worth it?  Someone mentioned the panels are made with silicon?  If it's dumped and I'm sure that's a big part of the re-cycle mechanisms, what happens?  Doesn't sound very "green" to me.