Solar power is growing so fast that older energy companies are trying to stop it

vox.com ^ | September 29, 2014, 10:10 a.m. ET | Brad Plumer

[Utilizer]

You are welcome. Hope many FReepers find some ideas worth pursuing with the content discussed, and hope some intriguing suggestions come about because of this that some can put to good practical useage thereby.

[cynwoody]

The solution is obvious:

Yes, you can festoon your roof with solar cells. Yes, you can harvest the energy!

But, no, you cannot sell it back to the power company at 'Rat-legislated rates !!

I'd love to be off the grid. But not via legislation and artificial subsidies!

[monocle]

The power companies are the most regulated businesses in our country. The power companies must get regulatory approval before they can increase their rates. If there were no governmental restraints much of this publication would be mute.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Yes its kind of pricey. The system we are looking at and I have done literally hundreds of hours of research is a plug and play for about $15,000. Its 10 250 watt panels with about 10 batteries an inverter and a gravity tracking pole mount. The tracking pole mount gives you about 35% more efficiency than roof mounting. That system will push out about 400 plus KW per month. Way more than we will need. and its off grid. Don’t get a grid tie system as when the grid goes down your system won’t work.

Mr. GG2 is going to build a wood gasification generator so we can charge up our battery bank if we get some gray days which we do here in GA. The propane generator is a good idea also.

[Political Junkie Too]

That's my point. If the utilities are complaining that solar homes are getting all the advantages of low power usage but the utilities still have to maintain the expense of hooking up the houses to the grid, then why aren't they also complaining about the frugal homeowner who does all the things that you suggested, too?

It's the same net effect to the utility, but "solar" isn't the bogeyman anymore.

-PJ

[tacticalogic]

It's the same net effect to the utility, but "solar" isn't the bogeyman anymore.

Is it really the same net effect? That lower power usage from swapping out light bulbs and changing to more efficient appliances doesn't come and go with the weather, or suddenly revert back to what it was over large portions of the grid with one good hail storm.

[Political Junkie Too]

Good point. It's a more sustainable benefit than solar.

-PJ

[tacticalogic]

Good point. It's a more sustainable benefit than solar.

IMHO, the problem the electric companies face with residential solar is that it's unpredictable, and makes it difficult to determine what the actual power usage on the grid is. They don't really know how much power those homes are using from the solar panels, but they're going to be expected to be able to stand in for it and supply that power if it fails.