Redneck in training
Elite Member
The size of the PV plant is 396 kW rated power (After conversion from DC to AC). At what voltage it connects to the grid is unknown to me but I would suspect the output from the inverters is three phase.
Moving to the 1st world
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The size of the PV plant is 396 kW rated power (After conversion from DC to AC). At what voltage it connects to the grid is unknown to me but I would suspect the output from the inverters is three phase.
Zerk
Veteran Member
Based on just that factor, California should have the lowest costs in the USA.
Utility rate comparisons - Electricity
(Sorry OP.... at least that link let's you compare Canadian options :drink
Manitoba has lots of empty space, yet their rates are half of Ontario's. To make things worse, ON rates have gone up at least once, and probably twice since that survey was done.
Customer density vs. geographic distribution is only one factor of many.
Rgds, D.
I got you, it generates 4 MW. Which is a tiny plant. Lots of infrastructure for something so small, if owned by a utility.
For power it we usually go MW, voltage stays with kw, because the the round off makes a difference, we have 115 and 138 kV so 1MV foundn't work.
There are some old 4 MW plants out there built long ago, often by a customer, and then mayb bought by a utility.
Most plants are mutlipe 500MW units. You have some smaller 17-150 MW peaking plants, usually gas. 17 would go in rural area. I only know of one. Most are bigger. Usually small stuff is built by mills.
In UP which is very rural, there are building 17 and 150 gas units, for back up power and voltage control. Even up there, they would not bother with 4 MW.
Redneck in training
Elite Member
It is all relative. 400 kW is small but our utility is also very tiny. BTW I commission control systems for steam turbines (and other rotating stuff) for living so I am familiar with power plants operation.
Zerk
Veteran Member
Are you electrical?
I am a start up engineer. I do the protection portion for generators, breakers, and controls. I don't do tuning, but I am involved with it a bit. I have worked in coal, gas, and hydro plants. I like work on stations, I like being outdoors and schedules are better, they don't come on in the middle of the night, and usually come on when they are supposed to.
400 KW still sounds extremely small. You are sure you got your zeros right?
Zerk
Veteran Member
Ya we got off track, but the questions also stopped. Hope he lets us know how goes, and his thoughts in choicing whatever he choices were.
tcreeley
Elite Member
Maine produces surplus electricity that goes into the southern New England grid. Our electric rates are based on - transmission (utility companies) and the source of electricity. The demand is greater in the southern New England area and Maine electric companies make money selling and producing for them. However, that drives up the cost of electricity for Mainers. In addition, we subsidize all of the utility projects and new construction to get electricity from Canada to Mass. Our utilities closed down the majority of the hydro we had in the state- years ago. It was cheap, but did not provide them with opportunities to borrow, invest, etc - cutting out a portion for themselves. (The more money that flows through the system, the more opportunity to dip in and have a drink!) It is all a scam. Now they don't want us to have solar - loss of profit.
- Nice analogy I came across.
The local supermarket says it should tax you for the tomatoes you grow in your garden because that results in a loss of revenue for them. ..... They would probably want to put a smart meter in your garden to check on the progress of your tomatoes, along with another one in your kitchen to collect a value added tax when you prepare them!
- Nice analogy I came across.
The local supermarket says it should tax you for the tomatoes you grow in your garden because that results in a loss of revenue for them. ..... They would probably want to put a smart meter in your garden to check on the progress of your tomatoes, along with another one in your kitchen to collect a value added tax when you prepare them!
Redneck in training
Elite Member
I am also startup engineer. I do mainly compressor protection, associated process control, steam turbine speed, generator control etc. I am currently retired but still do several jobs per year for my former employer. I work about 90% for Oil and Gas but my next job is two soot blowers at power plant in western NE. I tried office work for about a month. Got it out of my system very quickly and never tried again. Doing it about 40 years with few short interruptions.
Zerk
Veteran Member
But are you electrical? You sound mechanical.
Redneck in training
Elite Member
I do control systems but I stick my nose in everything around the machines. There is a lot of waiting time in this job. You have to kill it someway.