Grid-tied solar

[DarkBlack]

That's why in Texas, Arizona, Neveda, New Mexico, PV is a more reasonable cash risk. Up in rainy, foggy, humid, snowy, short days, New England, it's for people to do as a hobby. You need a lot of dry weather to make the #'s work.

 

[tcartwri]

Amazing the negativity that solar and wind energy draw out of people who then think nothing of spending $50K on a diesel pickup as a daily driver, on the remote chance that they 'might' need to tow something one day....

 

[Travelover]

Amazing the negativity that solar and wind energy draw out of people who then think nothing of spending $50K on a diesel pickup as a daily driver, on the remote chance that they 'might' need to tow something one day....

Shhhhh...it is not nice to point out the obvious. :laughing:

 

[meburdick]

Amazing the negativity that solar and wind energy draw out of people who then think nothing of spending $50K on a diesel pickup as a daily driver, on the remote chance that they 'might' need to tow something one day....

We all understand that cars have a shelf life and they are a "necessary evil" for many of us. Without one, we don't get to work in many cases. If you don't spend that money, the alternative is to not work, not have an income, not afford a house, etc.

The alternative to dropping a large chunk of money into solar is to simply pay for electricity from the PUC.

 

[Travelover]

We all understand that cars have a shelf life and they are a "necessary evil" for many of us. Without one, we don't get to work in many cases. If you don't spend that money, the alternative is to not work, not have an income, not afford a house, etc.

The alternative to dropping a large chunk of money into solar is to simply pay for electricity from the PUC.

I think Tim's point was about buying a $50K truck, as opposed to affordable transportation to work.

 

[meburdick]

I think Tim's point was about buying a $50K truck, as opposed to affordable transportation to work.

As opposed to what, though? A $25,000 car and a $10,000 truck for the times when you tow? And, neither of them having any "luxuries"? My truck is expensive because I spend a LOT of time in it and I want to be comfortable when I do. Have you ever driven 15 hours in a day in a Civic DX? I have, and for someone of my size, that makes for an immensely unenjoyable drive. My "daily driver" is actually not driven daily because I am able to work a good chunk of time from home. But, when I do have to go on the road, the trips aren't short.

While I can see his point for those people that buy the Porsche Cayenne just so they can say they drive a Porsche (as opposed to buying a minivan that's much more functional), I agree that it's a waste of money. But, guess what? Those are the same folks that don't care if gas is $10/gallon or electricity is $1.00/kwh.

Again, though, you have to look at ACTUAL cost versus perceived cost. Even my $50,000 truck will have a significant amount of residual value when I am ready for a new vehicle. When you compare the depreciation $$$ of my vehicle to that of, say, a $25,000 sedan, I won't lose considerably more from my original investment. And, in the meantime, I'm much happier driving it, more rested when I arrive, and I can haul all of the things that I need to / when I need to without having to rent / borrow / own a different vehicle. There's some validity to his point, but I take exception to it being painted with broad strokes.

 

[tcartwri]

:reading:

See... you can spend your money as you choose, even if it makes absolutely no rational sense to another.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

another angle is...the amount some spend on backup generator systems vs. the amount of time you actually use it. But if you live in hurricane prone areas, I can fully understand.

 

[meburdick]

another angle is...the amount some spend on backup generator systems vs. the amount of time you actually use it. But if you live in hurricane prone areas, I can fully understand.

To me, a generator is somewhat analogous to "insurance". If you're in a neighborhood that is prone to power loss (for whatever reason), then spending more money may be acceptable. If, like me, you tend to almost never lose power, building in an auto-start, propane / LNG powered 25kva generator with an auto-switch is absolutely pointless.

That general thinking can be used to understand why people in Southern states are more interested in PV solar power than most of us in places like New England. All areas of the Earth receive the same amount of daylight over the course of a year. But, in the Southern states, the light is stronger because of the difference in weather (less clouds / rain). So, the opportunity exists to run a system at full power output for more hours per year, allowing you to get more out of the system. Additionally, the further South you go, the more "constant" the number of hours of daylight per day. In the Northeast, we vary from about 9 to about 15. In Texas, the range is more like 10 to 14.

 

[Travelover]

:reading:

See... you can spend your money as you choose, even if it makes absolutely no rational sense to another.

:laughing: I think you hit a sore point.