Grid-tied solar

[ultrarunner]

I've wondered if we are setting ourselves up with grid tie...

The power company has already said it we be changing the price schedule to drop the higher tiers and replace the loss with higher baseline charges for simply being connected.

Water is already doing this... after 3 years of a steady drumbeat to conserve the utility is said conversation is affecting the bottom line so 33% across the board increase to make up for 25% less water use...

 

[ultrarunner]

Floor to ceiling wool drapes can make a difference... in the old days drapes had a wooden valance over the track to insulate and I only still see these in old homes..

 

[dave1949]

Floor to ceiling wool drapes can make a difference... in the old days drapes had a wooden valance over the track to insulate and I only still see these in old homes..

I remember those valences. They would help to trap rising warm air.

Yes, the power companies are raising basic service charges. Ours have gone up $2 per month in the last year. What choice do they have really? As more of the load defects their revenue declines. They raise charges and scare away more revenue. They are not in a good place to be with regular residential or light commercial customers in some areas.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Ouch, while those Roladens are nice, you could double your pv for $12,000 for 12 windows' worth. Very nice storm protection though. Would be good for a person working night shift to darken the room in the daytime.

 

[ultrarunner]

Rolladen are almost standard in many parts of Europe for many reasons... security, insulation, protections from weather extremes... some of my friends would put them down every night... if there was ever a fire it sure would take a long time for the smoke to show... then again most homes there are concrete and concrete block construction.

I don't have any on my home since I have real wood shutters that latch from the inside... I do have double pane windows and all the new construction is triple pane now... even if only on the North side...

 

[dave1949]

Ouch, while those Roladens are nice, you could double your pv for $12,000 for 12 windows' worth. Very nice storm protection though. Would be good for a person working night shift to darken the room in the daytime.

Ya, that's one reason I don't have them. :laughing:

They are danged cool though. Until they are released to go all the way closed there is a small gap between each strip that lets in a soft light or a little fresh air if the window is open. In most German homes the rolladen housing is set into/flush with the exterior wall above the window. You don't see the housing box sticking out above the window.

The windows in German homes swing in like barn doors or tilt in from the top depending on how you set the latching lever when opening the window. They have doors that work the same way, plus the doors and windows have a more positive locking seal. The multiple latch bolts travel on a cam surface such that latching the door or window pulls it tight against the jam seal. They close against a lip all the way around the frame including the door threshold.

 

[Redneck in training]

I don't think you realize how fast this technology has changed, all your issues are talking points from 10 years past. I used $17 for a reason. The latest technology doesn't even use water to frack. HS

The drilling is the expensive part. Low flow formation require many usually horizontal holes and that is lot of drilling that has to be repeated as the well gets depleted.

 

[houstonscott]

The drilling is the expensive part. Low flow formation require many usually horizontal holes and that is lot of drilling that has to be repeated as the well gets depleted.

I know it works, I'm very close to a person who invested $500k over 10 years ago, those wells pay 50k a month today. HS

 

[Redneck in training]

I know it works, I'm very close to a person who invested $500k over 10 years ago, those wells pay 50k a month today. HS

THere are exception to everything. Typical fracked well in low permeability formation has short life. Most new sources are in difficult locations (expensive to exploit). Fracking was originally used to "rejuvenate" old depleted wells (I worked on such project more than 25 years ago). Only after the oil/gas cost increased it was used to exploit formations which would otherwise had very slow flow.

 

[buickanddeere]

Around here now that Net Metering has been abolished even though NM is still promoted on the hydro One web site. Have a look at the power bill and find the typical load from 9:00AM to 3:00PM during the daytime peak rate. Purchase enough grid tie inverter capacity and enough solar panels to cut your use of utility power to zero during the mid day peak rate.
It is windy here so it can be practical to install a small wind turbine to power the inverter outside of the six hours of prime sun.