# Sustainability - hybrids and solar panels **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 25, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainability-hybrids-and-solar-panels/409370 "2007-06-25T18:50:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainability-hybrids-and-solar-panels/409370/21 "2007-06-26T16:30:54Z")
The cost of solar power in the warm and sunny south, vs the cost of solar power in the cold and cloudy north make central planning of the issue automatically, and inevitably inefficient, not to mention inequitable. Using regulation has some immediate benefit, but given the ability of the Congress to even remotely understand technology, and how it changes over even the short term which our leaders plan for makes it unlikely that the law will ever do more than briefly encourage, and eventually discourage any solution that doesn’t have as its primary function plea$ing $pecial intere$t Group$. Mostly, the American people want other folks to save energy, anyway. Tris ---
**Author:** ![samm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@samm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samm)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainability-hybrids-and-solar-panels/409370/22 "2007-06-26T20:51:07Z")
Thank you **Algher** I knew there must be better ideas than what I was thinking. I like your idea and it seems so easy to do. **Kanicbird** , do you have any good suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainability-hybrids-and-solar-panels/409370/23 "2007-06-26T21:05:49Z")
[QUOTE=samm] Kanicbird, do you have any good suggestions [/QUOTE] I thought I mentioned some, including accepting small scale Hydro, geothermal, and wind as alternatives to solar. For cars I like the idea of giving steep discounts for over a certain MPG, and steep taxes for under another mpg. Something like anything under 25 mpg gets slammed with a very high, punitive tax rate, say 50% to 400%, and anything over 40 mpg would get a subsidy of the calculated surplus of the punitive tax rate. These numbers can be adjusted as needed. This way a certain technology is not mandated just a goal. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainability-hybrids-and-solar-panels/409370/24 "2007-06-27T20:16:27Z")
[QUOTE=kanicbird] For cars I like the idea of giving steep discounts for over a certain MPG, and steep taxes for under another mpg. Something like anything under 25 mpg gets slammed with a very high, punitive tax rate, say 50% to 400%, and anything over 40 mpg would get a subsidy of the calculated surplus of the punitive tax rate. These numbers can be adjusted as needed. This way a certain technology is not mandated just a goal. [/QUOTE] Even this is restrictive, as it is limited to savings of gas. What about cars that don’t use gasoline? You need to identify your goal more clearly - is it to reduce oil use? reduce energy use? reduce global warming? all of the above? - then address your reward/punishment to the goal, rather than on specific functional details such as gas mileage. ---
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainability-hybrids-and-solar-panels/409370/25 "2007-06-27T21:02:21Z")
[QUOTE=kanicbird] I thought I mentioned some, including accepting small scale Hydro, geothermal, and wind as alternatives to solar. For cars I like the idea of giving steep discounts for over a certain MPG, and steep taxes for under another mpg. Something like anything under 25 mpg gets slammed with a very high, punitive tax rate, say 50% to 400%, and anything over 40 mpg would get a subsidy of the calculated surplus of the punitive tax rate. These numbers can be adjusted as needed. This way a certain technology is not mandated just a goal. [/QUOTE] Wouldn’t it be more sensible to tax overall usage and not inefficiency? A guy that drives his 50 mpg hybrid all over the place like he’s in a perpetual parade is a much bigger part of the problem than a guy that drives a Hummer 10 miles a day. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainability-hybrids-and-solar-panels/409370/26 "2007-06-27T22:04:23Z")
[QUOTE=Bookkeeper] Even this is restrictive, as it is limited to savings of gas. What about cars that don’t use gasoline? You need to identify your goal more clearly - is it to reduce oil use? reduce energy use? reduce global warming? all of the above? - then address your reward/punishment to the goal, rather than on specific functional details such as gas mileage. [/QUOTE] Good point Bookkeeper, I don’t have a easy answer to it. Perhaps a scale of power/mile or $/mile or some standard that would be fuel neutral. [QUOTE=T\_SQUARE] Wouldn’t it be more sensible to tax overall usage and not inefficiency? A guy that drives his 50 mpg hybrid all over the place like he’s in a perpetual parade is a much bigger part of the problem than a guy that drives a Hummer 10 miles a day. [/QUOTE] I see that as highly punitive to the lower/working class. I would not deny someone traveling long distances to better themselves and/or their family, but it should be done responsibly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sustainability-hybrids-and-solar-panels/409370.md?page=1)