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Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by WalterBright on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @03:23PM (#32930175)
Government subsidy tends to attract a lot of malinvestment in order to get those dollars. For example, in Biden's bill, there's a subsidy for so-called "smart" glass that darkens when an electric current is applied. This is supposed to reduce solar input from windows by 20%.

Of course, if this mattered, people would have already installed window blinds, which are cheap and easy. External eyebrows and eaves also work. "Smart" glass is an expensive solution, it's been around for 25 years, and nobody wants it.

Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by mattmoose21 on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @03:34PM (#32930364)
Do you have a source for the smart glass subsidy? I haven't been able to find anything that mentions it.
Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by jsight on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @03:49PM (#32930572)
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inflation-reduction... - It seems like it just puts it on an equal footing with other solutions.

Unless there's a downside that I'm not aware of, that seems like a reasonable thing to do?

Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by WalterBright on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @03:51PM (#32930602)
The downside is it is expensive, while much cheaper methods are available.
Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by mattmoose21 on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @03:55PM (#32930666)
Yeah I don't see anyone taking advantage of this if they didn't also expect it to work.
Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by sbuttgereit on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @03:43PM (#32930499)
https://www.axios.com/2022/08/30/smart-glass

"Among the Inflation Reduction Act's little-noticed yet potentially game-changing provisions: a big incentive for "smart glass," which can make buildings significantly more energy efficient."

Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by mattmoose21 on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @03:49PM (#32930574)
Thanks!
Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by adgjlsfhk1 on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @03:42PM (#32930478)
One advantage of smart glass is you can get much better wavelength control. For example, you can reflect 90% of infrared light while letting through the visible light. This is really hard to do with a curtain.
Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by WalterBright on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @03:55PM (#32930663)
If it's not worth the money for people to pay to get this feature, it is not worth paying for it with taxes.

I've seen smart glass demoed at a home show 25 years ago. I thought it was way cool, until they quoted the price. It's no surprise it hasn't gotten any traction since. Oh, it also consumed electric power when in dark mode, as much as a light bulb. It's not a passive system.

Window blinds, louvers, eyebrows, shades, etc., all work fine and are cheap.

BTW, when I lived in Phoenix in the 1970s, people would tape aluminum foil or newspapers on the windows to cut the heat intake. The newspapers would block most of the solar heat, but would let the light through.

Here in Seattle I made some reflective panels I can just stick on the windows when we have a heat wave. Plenty of light still gets in.

Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by mattmoose21 on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @04:42PM (#32931257)
Would this product be aimed more at businesses and high-rises? Also this seems a bit more aesthetically pleasing than the alternatives and especially newspaper.
Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by WalterBright on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @05:02PM (#32931470)
Just pointing out how cheap solutions can be.
Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by credit_guy on Wednesday September 21, 2022 @11:56PM (#32934641)
I don't know. LED light bulbs used to be very expensive. A market study 15 years ago would have found close to zero demand for them. Now they are affordable, they cut electricity bills and people do buy them. Technologies need to go over a certain threshold for demand to show up. The government can help with this.
Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by nickpp on Thursday September 22, 2022 @04:38AM (#32936251)
55" 4K TVs used to be very expensive as well. Now they are so cheap and thin and good I hug one in my basement just for the occasional workout video streamed from YouTube.

Technological progress is the secret to price reduction. No government interaction required or even wanted, it's usually much more likely to create problems...

Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by credit_guy on Thursday September 22, 2022 @07:09AM (#32937284)
> No government interaction required or even wanted, it's usually much more likely to create problems...

That's generally true, but there are exceptions. Solar panels are very cheap now because of decades of government subsidies. Battery electric vehicles are still more expensive than their regular counterparts, but certainly one day they'll be cheaper (they have many more fewer moving parts). But would they have caught on without government subsidies?

Re:Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 75 basis po... by nickpp on Thursday September 22, 2022 @07:26AM (#32937427)
Actually solar panels are very cheap now because the technology used to produce them (the same tech used to produce CPUs and chips and such) has become incredibly cheap due to the widespread high-tech adoption.

Same amazing price reductions with li-ion batteries which are used in every mobile device. EVs? Who knows - but since the government is subsidizing gas prices, that market is already corrupted beyond salvation.

Governmental subsidies managed to skew demand and create market aberrations like the rainy Germany covered in solar panels while their nuclear sector was being closed.