Posted on 02/27/2014 12:55:02 PM PST by Theoria
Someone is installing a solar power system in the U.S. every four minutes. Generous state and federal tax credits for hooking up solar panels on roofs or in fields make solar energy attractive to homeowners and businesses.
Another bonus is that those who generate solar energy can roll over what they don’t use as credit against their next utility bills, like rollover minutes on a cellphone bill, or sell excess energy back to the utilities.
Utility companies aren’t happy.
As the solar industry thrives, states are bracing for more showdowns this year between solar advocates and utility companies over how to balance reimbursing those who generate solar energy with supporting the country’s power grid.
The battles are heating up in sun-soaked states like California, Arizona and Hawaii where solar projects are surging, but also in less expected places, such as Kansas and North Carolina.
Driving the debate is the rapid growth in solar installations, up 76 percent in 2012 from 2011, according to the most recent data available from the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Solar is still a small piece of the energy pie in the U.S., at around 1 percent of total energy produced. Just four states accounted for more than two-thirds of grid-connected solar system installations in 2011: Arizona, California, New Jersey and New Mexico.
New Jersey, while not considered as sunny as other states, has one of the most aggressive renewable portfolio standards in the country. The state, for example, requires suppliers and providers to procure at least 4.1 percent of sales from qualifying solar electric generation facilities by the year 2028.
(Excerpt) Read more at redding.com ...
So...that means we can hunt them in the dark if we use NVGs...neat~
Renewable utilities = higher rates.
It was only a matter of time until someone wised up about this. Now that it is beginning to affect the utilities’ bottom line there will be hell to pay. The utilities commission with be coerced into capitulating and the ride will be over.
I wondered what took them so long.
power plant companies will simply do what cable companies did. Push zoning codes that outlaw such devices.
Notice how everybody is prepping the population for cost increases. Cattle down to levels not seen since 1950, Pig shortages as diseases take their toll. Crop failures in the mid west because of drought.
Now ... solar energy affecting the bottom line of utility companies.
Poppycock. The break even point for quality solar installations is 20 years — well out of range of the average homeowner.
And the State and Federal Government subsidizes the energy you sell back for credit to the Utility company.
Let me say that solar is a dying source of renewable energy. There is a technological revolution taking place in the efficiency of fossil fuel powered engines which power generators. Soon in Europe there will be generators online that have a 82% electrical efficiency rating. That is they take fuel used to power the generator and convert 82% of it to electricity. Typical diesel generator converts around 32% into electrical and natural gas generator is about 10% more efficient. What does this mean? These generators will be able to provide electricity for about $0.012 a kilowatt. This is significantly less than a utility can generate electricity. Solar without government subsidies is easily 20 times higher. I have a son In law who sells and Installs solar systems in the Peoples Republic of Maryland. When I introduced him to these new generators his response was you have just put me out of business. Let’s take a deeper look at the foolishness of using solar. The Indianapolis Airport had a $70m effort to put in a 300 acre solar farm. This farm would produce a little over 3 megawatts of power. By comparison these new generators can match the power output at a cost of under $3m and a footprint of less than one eighth of an acre. Payback is less than a year and they last 30 years with no degradation of power output. By comparison the solar panels are maybe 30% efficient and the costs are such that it will take over 30 years for the financial payback. In addition the panels degrade overtime and become increasingly less efficient. Once these generators hit the street solar will be dead. We already have advance orders for 15000 megawatts of generator power. Now I realize it will take 15 years for the governmental and environmental world to get the message but their doom and the doom of Wind power has been sealed.
Wow. Loved your post.
The Greenies will simply seek to outlaw all fossil fueled generators .
Why is/has Europe[Germany?] developed such tech? Has cheap fuel kept US back from developing such tech?
Coerced into continuing to force other electricity customers to subsidize the solar users?
Or coerced into charging solar users their fair share of the overhead of the electric companies and paying ‘what it’s worth’ for their excess electricity?
What type of engine are they using to get that efficiency? Diesel motors, albeit better than gasoline, are not that efficient. The heat engine process is not very efficient.
Solar panels. The less educated think that if you throw money at a technology that it will some how improve. A little will do a little good a lot will do a lot of good. If solar energy had been viable, there would have been a lot of money from the private sector to fund it.
One point that I make to liberals is if we are all going to be driving electric cars, we had better start now and develop additional sources of power. And wind and solar are not going to cut it.
Lithium batteris will soon be available for solar systems which will greatly increase your battery bank run time. Tesla is making them.
Sounds like a busy guy.
It’s not all about grid-tied installations either. Many have completely separate, small power plants and other utilities. So what will you do to take care of yourself or your family during the possible tougher times ahead in the economic decline?
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