Rob, exactly how much power does a solar panel produce at night, when most poeple are charging their cars? Think about it. RE: excess gen during the day - the power company had to PAY another utility to take it off their hands, driving the cost of energy even more. Batteries? Sorry, as of now, still not cost effective. It is these pesky details I love to ram down the throats of tree huggers.
Thanks I was trying to articulate this but... Have you heard about pumping reservoirs during high supply and generating from that pumping when high demand? Pretty sure Idaho power is doing exactly that on the north side of Bear Lake with about 12 foot of head between the lake and the wetland they're pumping into. Should have gotten pics. Buddy says IPL is doing this sort of thing all over.
Pumped Storage Plant. Think of it as a "Tivo" for energy (time shifting). We have one here in GA. https://www.tva.com/energy/our-power-system/hydroelectric/raccoon-mountain Two issues: like dams, rare to find a natural setting where it works. And it is nor free - it always takes more energy to fill the lake at the top of Raccoon Mountain than it produces on the way down through the generators.
My father worked on a pump storage project back in the late 60's in Northfield Mass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northfield_Mountain_(hydroelectricity_facility)
It takes more energy to charge and maintain a battery than you’ll get back out of it. There are losses in *everything*. Transformer hum? That’s electricity being consumed into mechanical energy. Transformer getting hot? That’s electricity being consumed into thermal energy. The question is, does the energy cost of storing the energy nullify the reclaimed energy? In these examples, I would think it is a suitable use of “cheaper” electricity to store for when that “cheaper” source of electricity isn’t available.
Both Solar and, to a degree, are cheaper than their true cost is because of federal incentives. Taxpayers pay for about 50% of the cost of any Solar development. To summarize, let me use the quote I leaned from Neil Boortz: "The Law Of Unintended Consequences."
I’m not arguing that. I’m saying that *since* solar and wind generation *do* inhabit the grid, that the generation created by them being used to “charge a battery” in the form of a pumped reservoir to generate electricity when the solar and wind aren’t generating electricity isn’t a bad strategery. Spending the $$ pissed away on building out the solar and wind farms on actually useful and reliable electricity generation is another argument we’re not gonna have here.
Solar/Wind + battery = $0.25/kWh Coal = $0.0125/kWh Any questions? I admit I pulled these from the air, but the true delta is very similar. People always vote with their wallet, unless you are spending other people's money.
I remember reading something probably 20-30 years ago and I think it was T Boone Pickens, the oilman, was buying up water rights wherever he could. Too lazy to search right now, and I think he has passed away, but it is interesting to know and I wonder what is happening with that.
That "sh.t" is biting me in the a.. right now. I've been basically running the business since 05 and I'm working this deal to buy a bunch of forklifts, which I mentioned on here. She was okay with me buying 20 to start off, which is probably the really smart move.......but dummy me.....gets excited and I want to figure out a way to go in hock up to my eyeballs and buy up to 90 of them. She is convinced this is an idiotic move with the way the economy is right now, and usually she is right......so dumb dumb here is trying to cool my jets. I did tell her "you make your money buying, not selling". So far this discussion has derailed my sports car purchase. NO RISKIT NO BISCUIT!!!!!
I understand all that. I kind of wish I had solar, but for me, I didn't have the extra money to waste, and my bills aren't that high most of the year. However, the good thing is, once I buy it, she would never have to listen to me bitch about how cold she has the A/C. I'm sure that would be worth a lot for both of our sanity......I unfortunately can't help but bitch when that shit is cranked down to 72 and the back door is open to let the dog run in and out.
We have some friends, actually know them through dance, that are very wealthy. She built up a software consulting company in Minnesota and cashed out and moved to S. Cal. Anyway, their beautiful house has an approx. 250 degree view of the ocean from San Clemente to Catalina up towards Laguna Beach, and we are lucky enough to go over there and enjoy it with them. They are up in the hills and evidently it is considered borderline to a fire zone. So there is some kind of grant in fire zones and they qualify to have 7 tesla Powerwall's installed in their home, paid for by a grant. They already have 40-60 solar panels they have paid to install and I guess because of this and the proximity to a fire zone they get the Powerwall's for free? Seems crazy that someone that could by and sell me 20 times over gets that for free, but I would go for it too, if it was offered.
Yea, that's why I posted it. Just like all the rich people that buy Tesla's and get the $7500 tax credit. Granted I would do it too, if I purchased an electric. Only a little different to how the government gets us to buy houses by making interest deductible, or buying businesses by making that loan interest deductible and allowing you to write off what is called "goodwill"....which is the fluff you pay over and above what the assets are worth. I'm sure every business purchased has huge write-off's for goodwill, I know mine did. But the gov't is smart IMO by having the SBA for the loans and allowing the write-offs because it would be really hard to do it without those things.
IIRC, one of the north GA lakes does this. They use excess capacity from the turbines to pump the water when demand is low. It effectively functions as a battery.
Try and put solar on your house in Kali, I dare you. The amount of red tape, the bullshit you have to step through and the costs (ten to twenty times what it should cost). I made a lot of money off off solar. Not Rick flair levers but. . . Try and hold these alligators down! Woooo!
