home solar worth even more than previously thought utilities argue back

[Hayabusa Rider]

Now your solar home can be taxed at a higher rate

 

[jagec]

The sad thing is that you would think that it would help normalize demand to some extent. When we had rolling black outs years ago it was always during the warmest time of the day when everyone's AC was blasting but solar panels would be generating nicely at that time (although, I know that heat decreases solar panel efficiency in general). By the time the sun goes down, commercial demand would go down enough to make up for the increase in residential demand.

I did the calculations once using demand curves and solar production curves, and determined that solar evens out the curve until it gets to ~20-30% of total production, and afterwards it is actually counterproductive. Solar production starts a little too late in the day and ends a little too early in the afternoon to perfectly match the demand curve.

Of course, we're NOWHERE near those numbers yet.

 

[Train]

While the sun is up pump water to the top of a tower. Use the energy of the falling water to run generators at night. In the daytime spin a massive well greased flywheel in a vacuum chamber. At night use that energy to generate electricity.

General Motors just built a new data center outside Detroit that uses flywheels to decouple from the local grid, acts as both a power stabilizer and backup power source.

 

[rockyct]

I did the calculations once using demand curves and solar production curves, and determined that solar evens out the curve until it gets to ~20-30% of total production, and afterwards it is actually counterproductive. Solar production starts a little too late in the day and ends a little too early in the afternoon to perfectly match the demand curve.

Of course, we're NOWHERE near those numbers yet.

That makes sense. It seems a bit premature for power companies to be scared. Although, it does take away some of their power when they claim super, high demand peaks throw off the balance of the grid.

 

[PingSpike]

I'm not saying that power companies aren't screwing you much of the time, but I will say that the grid does cost money to be maintained and if everyone was producing most of their own electricity using solar panels they would have a lot less income to pay for that. And then they'd raise rates, which would cause more people to do solar as it would be more cost effective. It raises some interesting challenges for the future.

 

[norseamd]

I'm not saying that power companies aren't screwing you much of the time, but I will say that the grid does cost money to be maintained and if everyone was producing most of their own electricity using solar panels they would have a lot less income to pay for that. And then they'd raise rates, which would cause more people to do solar as it would be more cost effective. It raises some interesting challenges for the future.

taxes can support the grid at far more effective rates per dollar

we can have state run energy

if private companies want to make power they can on their private property and then sell it to the state

most utilities are supported by tax dollars and the government anyways