Posts by siliconhillbilly

Yes, but does it make sense?

I would think the obvious question would be, does buying/installing a solar panel system make any sense for the individual, grid tied house? Given the current price for the hardware and labor vs the actual value of the electricity produced, is there any gain from the solar electric system?

In the US, at least, the commercial solar PV power plant is driven by government subsidies and large loan guarantees. Maybe if we had electricity prices as high as some "green" countries it would make sense. Er, or not.

Where does the power come from when clouds move in? Quick response gas turbines? What do those cost, and has that been figured into the system cost of "going solar"? I have a feeling that "big solar" is going to be a self limiting enterprise.

It's been done, sort of

http://www.cartercopters.com/cctd.html

Electric Power Storage

Most knowledgeable people agree that it's necessary to have power storage if you want more than a few percent of wind and/or solar power on the grid. That, or lots of cheap, inefficient gas turbines for backup generation.

With current technology, a storage battery costs about 5x to 10x more than it is worth to store energy for "calm, cloudy days" . Actually, I can't imagine a battery system large enough to store more than a few hours of grid make-up power on "bad renewable energy days".

Of course, if you have the ideal geo-hydrology for it (steep mountains with lakes on the top and bottom) you can build pumped hydro storage and all is well. I don't think this describes much of the English countryside.

So when the "windy power" promoters show up at the money trough, uh, I mean national government energy ministry, they should be escorted to the door, forcefully. Unless they have made the proper payment to play the subsidy game. Fun for all! No one loses! Ummmm.

If you end up wasting the investment money, it's NOT green. But it seems to be happening anyway. Could it be that someone is actually making real money on the deals? It's certainly not the electricity consumer! So who else might be smiling about this situation? Don't take too long to answer, because the waste is still going on.