hdsolarguy’s Recent Comments

• Click here to view comment in original post

  On-Grid Solar Costs

  The advantage of on-grid solar is that you only have to meet your average electricity needs, rather than your peak needs.

  For example, a avg house in San Diego using about 800 kWh per month requires a 6 kW (DC) system that will produce 792 kWh/month of electricity. That is (30) 200-watt panels.

  At $.15/kWh that is equivalent to a $120/month electric bill.

  During the daytime, the house produces more than it needs but the extra is sold back to the utility at prevailing rates, literally rotating the meter backwards for credit.

  At night, the house "withdraws" the power which was "deposited" during the day, spinning the meter forwards again.

  Solar homeowners in CA pay their electric bills only once per year -- at the end of 12 full production months -- and pay the difference between what they produce and what they use (the "net").

  See video at www.stellarsolar.net/how.html

  In San Diego, a system like this -- installed by professionals -- will pay for itself in about 8 years. Or immediately if you consider the solar house now has a higher market price.On A smart grid, yes. A new national grid, no. posted 8 months, 2 weeks ago 27 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  HVDC Super Grid

  Good numbers. Also, we (the U.S.) are hardly alone in pursuing this initiative.

  See also...
  http://www.desertec-australia.org/content/twf-3-connectin ...On A smart grid, yes. A new national grid, no. posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago 27 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  Some hard numbers to back this up

  Courtesy of John Petersen at Seeking Alpha: "The nameplate capacity of U.S. generating facilities is about 1 million Megawatts (MW), so if all of our power plants ran 24/7 we would have a theoretical annual generating capacity of 8.7 billion Megawatt-hours (MWh). Since demand for electricity fluctuates on both a daily and seasonal basis, total electric power generation in 2007 was only 4.2 billion MWh, or less than 50% of nameplate capacity. The goal of the Smart Grid is to maximize the efficiency of existing generating facilities and accommodate the integration of renewable power resources."
  http://seekingalpha.com/article/119404-smart-grid-s-enabl ...On A smart grid, yes. A new national grid, no. posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago 27 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  World Wide Web of Electricity

  Several points not addressed by Mr. Morris: 1) Electricity demand is time-sensitive. As each U.S. time zone reaches peak demand, thousands of power plants are turned on and then off to help meet that demand (which also waste a significant amount of energy starting and stopping). It is cheaper (and faster) to move surplus power between time zones than it is to bring new generation online in each time zone and that requires a smart grid that crosses those time zones (not to mention seasonal variations between northern and southern latitudes). 2) The market for electricity is defined in part by the transmission grid and an optimal price requires the largest possible market, hence the largest possible grid. 3) Renewable energy is not "dispatchable" as needs arise so there is usually too much or not enough of it but a large (national) grid provides the marketplace for buying or selling that extra power, making renewable energy more cost-effective. Quite frankly, even a national grid is thinking way too small... why not a GLOBAL grid? For more information, see www.terrawatts.comOn A smart grid, yes. A new national grid, no. posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago 27 Responses

• Click here to view comment in original post

  World Wide Web of Electricity

  There is a new world wide web emerging right before our eyes.

  It is a global energy network and, like the internet, it will change our culture, society and how we do business.  More importantly, it will alter how we use, transform and exchange energy.

  Enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year.

  There is no energy supply problem, there is an energy distribution problem -- and the emerging solution is a new world wide web of electricity.

  For more information, see http://www.terrawatts.comOn Obama talks up electrical grid improvements on cable tv -- seriously, I have video evidence posted 1 year ago 11 Responses