Solar power & Wind Power for residental use

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

You are still missing the issue of subsidized whole sale rates for wind and solar producers . Are you not aware of the subsidies ? Every wind and solar system goes bankrupt once the subsidized rates end. What is the source of power on cloudy days, during short winter days with weak sunlight . When snow covered in areas of the country where prone to such. What is the source of peak power demand from 3:00PM until 10:00PM depending on the location and time of year . What is the source of peak power until the 3rd hour of daylight ? I would assume that your area of expertise is outside the power generation industry ? What could I use as an example of analogy to better explain the situation?

No expert, never said I was one.

Well I guess a ton of folks are screwed when the subsidies end.....I wonder why the made such a large capital investment. Heck I know of many 1 million sq ft warehouses that have the roofs covered with PV panels. Do they knowing something you do not know?

 

[AchingBack]

No expert, never said I was one.

Well I guess a ton of folks are screwed when the subsidies end.....I wonder why the made such a large capital investment. Heck I know of many 1 million sq ft warehouses that have the roofs covered with PV panels. Do they knowing something you do not know?

Seeing as how this isn't about warehouses, I feel qualified to contribute my opinion regarding my residence, a 14x65', 1973 mobile home. The initial investment in a solar power system is 20K. 20K in solar panels still isn't enough because I don't have space to put in enough panels to make it worth the investment. Considering my energy use is on average $600 per year, I would lose money installing a solar powered system which will eventually need replacing. If it weren't for government subsidies, the solar power industry would barely exist.

 

[buickanddeere]

No expert, never said I was one.

Well I guess a ton of folks are screwed when the subsidies end.....I wonder why the made such a large capital investment. Heck I know of many 1 million sq ft warehouses that have the roofs covered with PV panels. Do they knowing something you do not know?

I said subsidies . What part of subsidies requires explanation ?
There is IDEOLOGY for grand plans, best wishes and a wonderful world. Then there is the pesky the REALITY of the laws of physics & $$$.

 

[JCByrd24]

Buickanddeere, your rantings on here are absolutely absurd. The only pesky realities surrounding grid tied solar are people like you and the energy industry and their lobbying against solar which interferes in places like Florida as the article shared by NY_Yankees_Fan points out. It is you who is missing the point. Government subsidies cloud the cost of both alternative and traditional energy from us the consumers and that makes decisions a little harder to make. In some places though solar is growing strong because of the primary thing that you seem to be simply ignoring, at the end of the day it is one of few options that will provide free energy. No high efficiency coal plant, gas furnace, geothermal heat pump, etc will ever be free energy. This is an incredible reality of the laws of physics that you are so fond of talking about. And if people like you would stop nay-saying eventually this cool technology might actually be utilized to a level that really makes a difference in this country.

 

[dragoneggs]

Buickanddeere, your rantings on here are absolutely absurd. The only pesky realities surrounding grid tied solar are people like you and the energy industry and their lobbying against solar which interferes in places like Florida as the article shared by NY_Yankees_Fan points out. It is you who is missing the point. Government subsidies cloud the cost of both alternative and traditional energy from us the consumers and that makes decisions a little harder to make. In some places though solar is growing strong because of the primary thing that you seem to be simply ignoring, at the end of the day it is one of few options that will provide free energy. No high efficiency coal plant, gas furnace, geothermal heat pump, etc will ever be free energy. This is an incredible reality of the laws of physics that you are so fond of talking about. And if people like you would stop nay-saying eventually this cool technology might actually be utilized to a level that really makes a difference in this country.

Solar is free energy??? Where do I sign up? :confused3:

 

[SirReal63]

Solar is free energy??? Where do I sign up? :confused3:

+1
The 15k we have in grid assist solar certainly wasn't free.

 

[sodamo]

Let's be honest. If not for subsidies, tax advantages, various governmental policies and treatment, the conventional power supply system wouldn't be what it is today. TVA, eminent domain for transmission, fossil fuel programs just to get the ball rolling.

David Sent from my iPad Air using TractorByNet

 

[Redneck in training]

Even if space is not limited, you need to contain the working medium. Tanks, etc are not cheap. Think about how large a tank you would need to store energy in hot air vs. molten salt. One alternative stlorage is compressed air in large natural underground compartments (caves). This has been tried but I don't think it has yet been cost effective, even with subsidies. Some of the solar thermal plants (molten salt storage) claim to have up to 18 hours storage, allowing 24 hour operation, but they still come up short on full power on an annual cycle because of reduced sun in the winter.

There are challenges in handling molten salt. The solar storage plants have had some operating difficulties and are quite expensive, but the technology does work.

Compressed air storage has one major issue. Finding natural formation suitable for this purpose is hard. I also uses natural gas to generate electric power in a gas turboexpander. Otherwise it is pretty straightforward technology using commonly produced components. As far a I know there are two in operation for many years. One in Germany and one in Alabama. There was one under consideration in Iowa but the project was abandoned due to underground formation not suitable for air storage.

 

[buickanddeere]

Compressed air storage has one major issue. Finding natural formation suitable for this purpose is hard. I also uses natural gas to generate electric power in a gas turboexpander. Otherwise it is pretty straightforward technology using commonly produced components. As far a I know there are two in operation for many years. One in Germany and one in Alabama. There was one under consideration in Iowa but the project was abandoned due to underground formation not suitable for air storage.

There is not enough storage capacity for "compressed air". Figure the losses in compressing and fun motoring to operate a generator.
Tell us please the demand on the US electrical grid overnight . How many of these compressed air storage systems are required ?

 

[buickanddeere]

Let's be honest. If not for subsidies, tax advantages, various governmental policies and treatment, the conventional power supply system wouldn't be what it is today. TVA, eminent domain for transmission, fossil fuel programs just to get the ball rolling.

David Sent from my iPad Air using TractorByNet

Electrical system here used to pay for it's self.