CarolC,

Agreement with you on the need to look at the total impact, including pollution caused illness and death.

BUT, one has to look at the increased environmental impact of hybrid and other "green" technologies over their lifetimes, including manufacturing and end-of-life disposal. Solar cells have little impact when in use- but I don't want to live anywhere near the place they are manufactured, nor the dump where old ones are disposed of. Way too many hazardous chemicals...

One set of pollution values is not sufficient for evaluation- one needs to have

1 Manufacturing/installation
2 Operation/fuel
3 End-of-life disposal

environmental costs, at a minimum