Solar Energy Has Some Detractors, But How Valid Are Their Claims?

Frequent commenter Tim Kingston sent me this article from a solar energy nay-sayer and asked my opinion.

Tim:  I come across this stuff a lot. As I’ve often written, Germany has quite clearly made a mistake with their fantastically large feed-in tariffs from which they abruptly backed off; I don’t know anyone who denies that. The migration to clean energy will have some “fits and starts,” though I don’t see how that nullifies the whole enterprise.

I know people who have solar on the roofs of their homes and office buildings who draw net zero power from the grid, and who drive electric vehicles charged from those sources. I wish this guy good luck trying to convince me that this style of living isn’t making a difference to our environment.