Grid-tied solar

   / Grid-tied solar #402  
Don't believe it. If its true all those solar people are sure in efficient, coal out produces solar by over 50000%. Burning wood produces more energy then solar and wind combined buy 60 times. Solar has its place, but replacing coal with solar is not in the cards. Without subsidies solar falls flat on face. I will tell you I am moving and plan on putting up a grid tie system right away, I just want control of my own power, and with my countryman paying for 30% of my system and install, I will proceed, but I thank you all for making it possible.


HS
 
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   / Grid-tied solar
  • Thread Starter
#403  
The April, 2013 results.

Above the model this month. We've had quite the streak of sunny days this month. I am still 244 kWh's behind on the net-metering to-date. I won't bring that down to zero by the end of July. :( That was not ever the design goal, but we ended up close by coincidence. Better to be a bit behind than ahead in my case.

Since installation on July 25, 2012, the total system output in AC kWh is 3839. The annual model prediction is 4447 AC kWh's.

My net usage was 463 kWh, the system produced 487 kWh.

The PVWatts model AC kWh predicted/actual:
2012
Aug. 383/460.7
Sep. 394/480.9
Oct. 369/378.6
Nov. 283/400.3
Dec. 331/297.2
2013
Jan. 388/440
Feb. 412/375
Mar. 509/462
Apr. 374/487
May 353/TBD
Jun. 308/TBD
Jul. 341/TBD
 
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   / Grid-tied solar #404  
houstonscott said:
Don't believe it. If its true all those solar people are sure in efficient, coal out produces solar by over 50000%. Burning wood produces more energy then solar and wind combined buy 60 times. Solar has its place, but replacing coal with solar is not in the cards. Without subsidies solar falls flat on face. I will tell you I am moving and plan on putting up a grid tie system right away, I just want control of my own power, and with my countryman paying for 30% of my system and install, I will proceed, but I thank you all for making it possible.


HS
Click to expand...

Federal coal subsidies - SourceWatch
Federal coal subsidies are forms of financial assistance paid by federal taxpayers to the coal and power industry. Such subsidies include direct spending, tax breaks and exemptions, low-interest loans, loan guarantees, loan forgiveness, grants, lost government revenue such as discounted royalty fees to mine federal lands, and federally-subsidized external costs, such as health care expenses and environmental clean-up due to the negative effects of coal use. External costs of coal include the loss or degradation of valuable ecosystems and community health.
According to research by GigaOm analyst Adam Lesser, buried in a 2011 report from the International Energy Agency is the fact that fossil fuels currently receive subsidies via "at least 250 mechanisms."[1]

In June 2010, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said $557 billion was spent to subsidize fossil fuels globally in 2008, compared to $43 billion in support of renewable energy. In a July 2011 EIA report on federal fossil fuel subsidies, coal was estimated to have tax expenditures (provisions in the federal tax code that reduce the tax liability of firms) with an estimated value of $561 million in FY 2010, down from $3.3 billion in FY 2007.[2]
A 2010 report by Synapse Energy Economics, "Phasing Out Federal Subsidies for Coal" found the U.S. federal government provides billions of dollars in subsidies for the coal industry

Top Three Ways That American Taxpayers Subsidize Dirty Coal Development | ThinkProgress

In a study last year, Dr. Paul Epstein of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School attempted to quantify how harmful coal is:


Our comprehensive review finds that the best estimate for the total economically quantifiable costs, based on a conservative weighting of many of the study findings, amount to some $345.3 billion, adding close to 17½¢/kWh of electricity generated from coal? These and the more difficult to quantify externalities are borne by the general public.

While these costs are very real, the economic argument can still be abstract to people. So itç—´ helpful to look at more tangible ways the coal industry is being subsidized by the American taxpayer. Indeed, coal companies benefit from tax breaks, public land loopholes, and subsidized railroads that help them continue being cheap.


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Glad to help with your solar but not so pleased with subsidizing fossil fuels.

Loren
 
   / Grid-tied solar #405  
What that all means is the government doesn't give coal a dime, and we all have clean cheap power. Loren haven't seen you around, you doing ok?


HS
 
   / Grid-tied solar #406  
dave1949 said:
The April, 2013 results.

Above the model this month. We've had quite the streak of sunny days this month. I am still 244 kWh's behind on the net-metering to-date. I won't bring that down to zero by the end of July. :( That was not ever the design goal, but we ended up close by coincidence. Better to be a bit behind than ahead in my case.

Since installation on July 25, 2012, the total system output in AC kWh is 3839. The annual model prediction is 4447 AC kWh's.

My net usage was 463 kWh, the system produced 487 kWh.

The PVWatts model AC kWh predicted/actual:
2012
Aug. 383/460.7
Sep. 394/480.9
Oct. 369/378.6
Nov. 283/400.3
Dec. 331/297.2
2013
Jan. 388/440
Feb. 412/375
Mar. 509/462
Apr. 374/487
May 353/TBD
Jun. 308/TBD
Jul. 341/TBD
Click to expand...

3060 kWh produced 3560 predicted
 
   / Grid-tied solar #409  
houstonscott said:
What that all means is the government doesn't give coal a dime, and we all have clean cheap power. Loren haven't seen you around, you doing ok?


HS
Click to expand...

Looks to like coal has received millions and is not required to pay for all the pollution...but we better not continue on this thread

I've been fine....just busy since returning from a 5 month road trip. We spent 2 months in Texas....big state...great diversity...not sure the "don't mess with Texas" anti littering signs are the way to go. We spent about a month in Rockport and otherwise up to a few days and then moved on. A few places we visited...about 8 state parks, a number of Army Corp of Engineers Reservoirs...Padre Island National Seashore, Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountain NP...travel from Texarkana to Wichita Falls to San Antonio (river walk in December!!!) to Rockport to Del Rio to Presidio to Lubbock and back to Denison and then north to Wichita, Kansas. We enjoyed Texas but returned home for a good old March snowstorm (about 2 ft and lots of wind). Now we're enjoying spring, green grass, ample rain, a fair amount of mud (gone now) and the leaves appearing and the forest coming alive!

One project high on my list is rebuilding my racks for my soalr panels and installing an additional 400 watts. (panels are in my garage) My total will be about 1.4KW.

Loren
 
   / Grid-tied solar #410  
Coal subsidies doesn't mean the government payed coal companies. LOL.


HS.
 
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