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Looks like I have lived long enough for my all-electric house-

kbasa said:
And note that that's before incentives courtesy of the IRA.
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= The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), enacted in 2022, established a set of energy-related asset categories that are now being directly subsidized by the federal government. Under the IRA, nearly any advanced or renewable energy asset constructed by a local government is eligible for some kind of federal cash subsidy.

I didn't realize the Fed's had got a job? :whistle

OM
 
PGlaves said:
I thought Florida was the sunshine state. One would think solar power might work quite well there.
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No kidding. Feels like the /5 guys arguing that electric starters will never catch on or that fuel injection would mean tons of stranded riders.

Take a look at Texas. They are renowned for their oil and gas energy industry, but you know what kind of power is growing at the fastest rate there? Wind. They make 25% of their energy from wind, right now and continue to expand that capacity. The state that generates 12% of the nation's power is generating at that scale from renewables.

What prevents anyone in Texas from sticking a low cost windmill up in the backyard to make power? Just like they used to be used to pump water to the water trough for the livestock.

Here in the Golden State, about a third of our public power is generated from renewables and that's ignoring the 10%ish that comes from hydro.

Florida, which has the ideal setup for solar, instead, imports natural gas to make 75% of their energy. Why wouldn't they invest in renewables and stop being subjected to the whims of the international petroleum market?
 
This is probably why someone in Texas can’t put up a cheap windmill.

How much does a 10 kW wind turbine cost?
$50,000-$80,000
Home or Farm Scale Wind Turbines

Wind turbines under 100 kilowatts cost roughly $3,000 to $8,000 per kilowatt of capacity. A 10 kilowatt machine (the size needed to power a large home) might have an installed cost of $50,000-$80,000 (or more).

From a quick search of “How much does a 10 kw wind turbine cost”?

OM
 
kbasa said:
A Powerwall is between $10 and $15K and has an expected lifespan of about 20 years. Do you spend more or less than that for 20 years of electricity?



Why wouldn't you?
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Should I? I never thought it made sense. My small 1,700' house and 1,050' shop are all electric and I'm averaging around $70 per month, more in winter and less in summer. No switches, controller, batteries, or photovoltaic panels to buy or cover my roof. Commercial power is clean and cheap, hell I pay almost the same ($66.15) per month for the stupid internet as all my power in both buildings!
 
milo said:
Should I? I never thought it made sense. My small 1,700' house and 1,050' shop are all electric and I'm averaging around $70 per month, more in winter and less in summer. No switches, controller, batteries, or photovoltaic panels to buy or cover my roof. Commercial power is clean and cheap, hell I pay almost the same ($66.15) per month for the stupid internet as all my power in both buildings!
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For now, right?
 
PGlaves said:
I thought Florida was the sunshine state. One would think solar power might work quite well there.
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I explained before how our local electric utility makes sure it doesn't. That is why you can't make broad assumptions like some are. The rules are not the same everywhere.
 
Putting a fresh, and much needed, coat of stain on the sunny side of the house required removal of my solar "project" that has been running for the past 20 years. It once again reminded me of the usually not factored in expense when doing maintenance of a solar installation.
Not a big panel or deal really but as I installed it to be relatively easy to be removed, if I had hired a painter, chances are they would't know how to deal with it.
All factors in the solar deal..... It did give me a chance to give it a cleaning. May have picked up a bit of efficiency. :p

OM
 
kbasa said:
Why wouldn't you?
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I like the idea, but for me it doesn't make sense. I'm a working-class dog; I don't have the price of a Corolla lying around- therefore I'd have to borrow to buy the hardware, which means paying interest- and the days of cheep interest are gone for the foreseeable future. And I'm about to turn 55 and probably won't be able to afford to retire when I get a bit older, by which time the system will be approaching the time to be replaced, which I'd prob'ly have to do to sell the house, which by then I'll prob'ly be tired of maintaining anyway. And electricity is fairly cheep here. I'm one of the few Georgians lucky-enough to get mine from a membership co-operative, so the rate is reasonable and the service is excellent. It's so damn easy.

I do find it a little suspicious that very few people in my area have gone down the solar path. This state must one of the hostile ones too.
 
The_Veg said:
I do find it a little suspicious that very few people in my area have gone down the solar path. This state must one of the hostile ones too.
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We bought our house in Texas in 2006. It was the last property on the grid for the next 20 plus miles. A vast majority of our neighbors are on solar. They laugh at us when the power goes out. We commiserate with them when we have several cloudy days in a row. It is mostly all in fun.

Electricity is important to me. I am a geezer. At 78 I have been diagnosed with Emphysema and am on oxygen therapy. I have an in-home concentrator, O2 tanks, and two portable O2 concentrators. I have a very good battery pack with Solar Panels that can keep me on O2 for about 3 days without sun with a power failure, not counting what I can get in a car or on the seat of my motorcycle with 12 volt power. But volts keep me moving.

Our situation in Texas with net billing and grid connects is typical - what folks might expect from Texas - so not much. So I have our grid, my backup concentrators, my O2 tanks, and good luck. So far I am still breathing.

Those who think solar won't work should query GM which thinks half of their vehicles will be electric by 2025.
 
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PGlaves said:
We bought our house in Texas in 2006. It was the last property on the grid for the next 20 plus miles. A vast majority of our neighbors are on solar. They laugh at us when the power goes out. We commiserate with them when we have several cloudy days in a row. It is mostly all in fun.

Electricity is important to me. I am a geezer. At 78 I have been diagnosed with Emphysema and am on oxygen therapy. I have an in-home concentrator, O2 tanks, and two portable O2 concentrators. I have a very good battery pack with Solar Panels that can keep me on O2 for about 3 days without sun with a power failure, not counting what I can get in a car or on the seat of my motorcycle with 12 volt power. But volts keep me moving.

Our situation in Texas with net billing and grid connects is typical - what folks might expect from Texas - so not much. So I have our grid, my backup concentrators, my O2 tanks, and good luck. So far I am still breathing.
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As everyone should be- prepared for power interruptions. I’m lucky to live where we have municipal electricity taken care by a crew that lives to keep the power on…… I still have a generator, actually 3 between the equipment.


Those who think solar won't work should query GM which thinks half of their vehicles will be electric by 1925.
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That’s is probably about correct. GM will probably need government subsidies to achieve more vehicles wrapped in shiny plastic.

OM
 
Just in-

After years of unreliable electric charging service on the Massachusetts Turnpike, the Department of Transportation is looking for a total reboot. The six charging stations at rest stops on the Pike have been permanently taken out of service, the agency said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/mass-pike-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-out-of-service/

Mass residents may have to follow left coast vehicle operations- ;)

O1n1TG3.jpg


OM
 
now that is a range extension cord adapter for real......Imagine the miles per gallon you can get on that......Golly you can run that Honda 3000 a coupe of hours on a gallon and that is a bunch of KWH to charge the Tesla battery so just a gallon could take you several hundred miles ....WOW WHAT A CONCEPT CAR
 
DennisDarrow said:
now that is a range extension cord adapter for real......Imagine the miles per gallon you can get on that......Golly you can run that Honda 3000 a coupe of hours on a gallon and that is a bunch of KWH to charge the Tesla battery so just a gallon could take you several hundred miles ....WOW WHAT A CONCEPT CAR
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I think I would call that a "hybrid".

What this article actually says is that the Tesla system works but that the system for other brands installed by the Turnpike Authority and its vendor was neglected long enough that it failed. There is a reason that GM and others are proposing to adopt the Tesla system as their standard too. Right now it is the wild west out there.
 
An alternative view on climate change thinking (click the link below):

Thinking Smartly About Climate Change
Bjorn Lomborg

Copenhagen Consensus Center


The following is adapted from a speech delivered at a Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar on April 24, 2023, in Irving, Texas.

The last paragraph of the article reads:

"Likewise, when it comes to climate change, our focus should not be on policies that cost a lot, deliver little, and in the end likely don’t even work. Rather, we should focus our efforts on developing new technology and encouraging innovation that will lead to the production of affordable and dependable green energy. It is possible for us to have a sensible climate policy without breaking the bank and without sacrificing the amazing opportunities delivered by cheap and abundant energy."
 
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