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Author Topic: Questions about Solar Power  (Read 39865 times)

dhouston

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #75 on: September 05, 2015, 08:59:42 AM »
Yet another entry into the residential solar market...
http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/23/google-sunpower-solar-panel-fund/
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dhouston

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #76 on: October 03, 2015, 10:39:08 AM »
« Last Edit: October 03, 2015, 04:27:11 PM by dhouston »
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Noam

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #77 on: October 13, 2015, 11:41:27 AM »
That's part of the reason I went with them ;-)
I've been very satisfied with them so far, and haven't noticed any problems with my X10 system as a result.

Shameless plug for them (and so I can earn some more referral awards):
If anyone is interested in getting a quote for solar for their home through SolarCity, here is my referral link:
http://share.solarcity.com/parness

The link above sends your information right to the Energy consultant, who will contact you directly. If you want to speak to me about it first, either hit me up with a direct message here, or e-mail me at: "solar *at* parness *dot* net" .

--Noam
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dhouston

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #78 on: November 10, 2015, 08:06:33 AM »
Texas actually has an electricity market wherein utilities actually compete with each other. The Texas grid is also largely independent of the rest of the US so utilities cannot readily sell surplus power to other regions. Here's an interesting article...
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/09/business/energy-environment/a-texas-utility-offers-a-nighttime-special-free-electricity.html
which starts with this paragraph.
Quote
In Texas, wind farms are generating so much energy that some utilities are giving power away.
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dhouston

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #79 on: March 25, 2016, 11:20:19 AM »
Here's an article that discusses the major points in a UN report on worldwide energy issues.
http://www.vox.com/2016/3/24/11300698/wind-solar-growth
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bkenobi

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #80 on: March 25, 2016, 02:17:03 PM »
Solar/wind isn't available all the time.  At night and on windless days these plants don't provide any significant power.  Since storing energy in a large enough quantity to meet the grid's needs is ludicrous, backup energy sources are used.  Generally, that means coal power plants.  I have no data to support this, but in my state the wind farms have new coal burning backup plants.  The irony here is that Washington state has one of the largest hydro dams in the country but it's not considered clean energy, so they built wind farms down the river and coal plants just beyond to help.   B:(
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dhouston

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #81 on: March 25, 2016, 02:45:42 PM »
Had you read the article, they discuss that - making the same point you do.

But, they also discuss the large increase (with more planned) in utility level storage capacity intended to address it.
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bkenobi

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #82 on: March 25, 2016, 05:15:29 PM »
TL;DR(all of it).  I read the first couple sections and ran out of time but this is a topic I've been interested in for quite some time.  Nice link!
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dave w

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #83 on: March 25, 2016, 05:31:08 PM »
Quote from: bkenobi on March 25, 2016, 02:17:03 PM
The irony here is that Washington state has one of the largest hydro dams in the country but it's not considered clean energy,
wow!, how can that be??
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racerfern

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #84 on: March 25, 2016, 06:14:47 PM »
This is very interesting. I'm in the process of installing 8.6kw system and my biggest interest is storing all this energy. Tesla powerwall comes to mind but pricey.

Recently I was in a remote area of Baja Sur in Mexico and they are completely off grid. About 100 population and they store in DC packs somewhere. So you can watch TV, whatever at night. Awesome system. At least wind is available at night, just put them in the right places.

I will probably go with a natural gas generator as my back up vs. battery but the battery option is just so tempting. I'm surprised coal is still being utilized when natural gas is so much easier to move around. I do have natural gas now for cooking, heating, etc.

BTW, I bought my system, not leased.


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dhouston

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #85 on: March 25, 2016, 06:41:27 PM »
Quote from: dave w on March 25, 2016, 05:31:08 PM
Quote from: bkenobi on March 25, 2016, 02:17:03 PM
The irony here is that Washington state has one of the largest hydro dams in the country but it's not considered clean energy,
wow!, how can that be??
This might explain part of it.
http://www.bluefish.org/drought.htm
http://www.stateofsalmon.wa.gov/statewide/hydro-summary/
I don't live there and haven't visited for many years but I'd hate to see the salmon disappear (unless going down my gullet).
« Last Edit: March 25, 2016, 07:05:41 PM by dhouston »
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dhouston

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #86 on: March 25, 2016, 07:17:15 PM »
Quote from: racerfern on March 25, 2016, 06:14:47 PM
This is very interesting. I'm in the process of installing 8.6kw system and my biggest interest is storing all this energy. Tesla powerwall comes to mind but pricey.
Their new factory may lower costs but this might be another factor...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdetwiler/2015/06/22/24m-a-lithium-ion-battery-breakthrough-technology/#20db00bb333d
If it were me, I'd try to stay as flexible as possible, by avoiding any major investment in a permanent backup system with technology advancing and costs falling.
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racerfern

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #87 on: March 25, 2016, 07:36:17 PM »
I got a Forbes welcome screen???
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dhouston

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #88 on: March 25, 2016, 07:42:10 PM »
Quote from: racerfern on March 25, 2016, 07:36:17 PM
I got a Forbes welcome screen???

Are you blocking scripts? Or are you seeing a "Click to proceed to site."?
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racerfern

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Re: Questions about Solar Power
« Reply #89 on: March 25, 2016, 07:46:19 PM »
Neither. Sometimes I see proceed to site, sometimes I have to wait. This time there is just the screen.

It almost works in Firefox. But Firefox complains about outdated Flash on the site. Chrome won't even let me continue. IE11 handles it properly. Thanks.
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