mdsolar's Journal: PAX SOLARIS

Solar is the most conservative power source ever and, once adopted, will never be displaced. It is really the nature of conservatives that makes it this way. Conservatives used to hate coal because unions got such strength from organizing mines. But now they love coal because the unions are busted owing to mechanization. Coal has a flag wrapped around it.

But, conservatives also like to believe in free markets. And solar power is becoming cheaper than coal. And, once deployed, it involves very little labor. So solar power ends up looking more like an investment than a seed for revolution.

This is really key. Once deployed, solar power becomes the glorious patrimony which all good conservatives are honor bound to defend just like family values.

Conservatives have supported wind power to some degree and nuclear power is glorious patrimony these days so it gets reflexive support as well as anti-antinuke support. But the only real competitor for the affections of conservatives for solar is natural gas. And, conservative supporters of natural gas are wrecking its advantages by attempting to export it.

There isn't a free market in natural gas or oil outside the US so natural gas exports mean higher prices domestically. Solar power will thus beat the price of natural gas all the sooner because it can hold on to the efficiency advantages it accrues through investment in technology while natural gas will not owing to foreign market manipulation.

Many of the things that make conservatism objectionable will also evaporate when solar power is fully deployed. The military hegemony in the Mid-East will be much less fraught, and the superabundance of energy will make conservative objections to population policy less grating. Conservatism will grow. PAX SOLARIS will likely be longer lasting and more conservative than PAX ROMANA. And that is about as conservative as it gets.