Ground-based solar energy certainly has a place in relieving energy strains. Large-scale systems, however, should not be our focus. Little has been said about the slowly developing solar power systems for homes. These solar cell units look like shingles and are attached to the roof of a home essentially like standard ones. There are power plants in this country, some of the cleanest and most efficient in the world, slated for closing because extreme environmental laws make them unaffordable.
Nuclear plants face similar trials.
Such short-term problems need much more attention from engineers. We need to spend less time thinking about the near-term future and lay the foundation for future generations. The difference in perception may come from the fact that he appears to be drawing largely from experience with large companies, whereas I work for a small company in which things are different. My company has fewer than 100 engineers, and is built entirely around projects. There are no departments or specialist groups per se, but none of the things Lipeles is concerned about are rife in the organization.