Posted on 10/14/2019 9:30:10 AM PDT by rktman
One valuable lesson has been learned from the California blackouts concerning the greens' vaunted solar power.
People with solar panels fitted to their homes have long acted under the impression that these granted them some immunity to blackouts. They now know better. Those who went to the heavy expense of purchasing and installing solar panels are in the same situation as their neighbors: no light, no heat, no power.
How does this make sense? If you've got a system that generates power all by itself, with no outside aid or assistance necessary, then it's a sure thing that it'll continue generating power even after the grid itself is shut down, right?
Ah, but we're dealing here with corporate policy. And when that enters the picture, then sense of any kind quickly departs the stage.
It turns out that solar panels do not supply power to the homes they are attached to. Instead, they transmit power out into the grid itself. A complex system of credits is employed to reimburse the homeowner.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Typically, solar panels that supply direct power charge a battery like on a sail boat, etc. They are direct current. Not A/C.
A friend of mine installed a solar system that cost over $10K and, indeed, he couldn’t use its power during a power loss. If it was up to me, I’d find a way to over ride that crap.
With utility installed solar it is almost certainly illegal for the homeowner to “tamper” with any part of it.
Same for the water utility.
And the water company contract forbids using any water from my own sources-so. I do without theirs.
Most people I know who have solar, have purchased, leased, or are renting solar equipment but have no clue of the terms or how the system works. Many took the word of some used car salesman type who told them they would save money. Solar is nonviable energy but people are too dumb to figure it out.
A workable and economic solution is determine what you absolutely must keep powered and size your solar/wind/standby generator/battery bank to keep those things working.
You can cook and heat water on your outdoor propane grill.Keep a full tank secured OUTSIDE in a fairly well ventilated structure. A can or three of gasoline with stabilizer added to the fuel for a modest sized generator.(run it at least every 90 days ).
We live in an area where the power goes out frequently certain times of the years, sometimes for a week or more. Fortunately, we have natural gas and I converted our generator to run on that which costs a third of what gasoline does. We run it 24 hours a day 7 days a week when the power is out. I stop it once every 24 hours to check the oil level. It still typically costs us about $10 a day, compared to $2 to $3 a day normally. Gasoline was costing us about $30 a day.
Our generator is a 30 year old 5000 watt generator with a 10hp Briggs Industrial engine. It is outfitted with watt meters and an hour meter. It just keeps going and going.
Our house could probably be run with a 4000 watt generator powered by a Honda clone which would reduce our fuel costs by around 20%. Generators burn a certain amount of fuel on partial load depending on how large they are. With a non inverter style generator, when your load is greater the amount of fuel used does not go up very much. The primary requirement for us is getting a generator that provides 240 volts so that it can be more easily integrated into our service panel.
The solar technology commonly being sold in California apparently isn’t ready for prime time.
I would think just switching off the main breaker should run the lights and refrigerator in the daytime.
You should be able to just plug an inverter/battery system into a standard socket and charge it up during the day to run the lights at night.
Household devices might be given plug-in priority boxes, so the electric water heater doesn’t run when the refrigerator is drawing power.
Priorities might be in the order: plug-in lamps, stove top, oven, refrigerator, air conditioning/heating, battery backup and water heater.
Probably a reg against that.
This is how I was finally able to get these solar companies to leave me the hell alone. I said: “So when everyone else loses power, I will too because the solar panels you want me to buy only send power to the electric company? Do you know how much sense it makes to have photovoltaic panels on my roof if they can’t help me during a power outage?”
They no longer call or visit.
Herbert Hoover was very helpful when it comes to providing non-fossil fuel electricity to Nevada.
In Florida, when there are clouds, air conditioning electricity demand is less.
Going 100% renewable would be All Out Crazy.
Equipment needs depend on usage patterns. As you note, certain amount of AC power is only needed when sun is shining, so don’t need battery backup for that part. This whole issue IS a solvable engineering problem, though wallet may not like the solution.
Were I in a CA-type mitigating blackout zone, I’d go for 100% renewable immediately - and rationally accept the costs/risks. (Moving out of CA would be more likely, but for sake of argument...) I’m dabbling in solar now (in GA), but would go all-in the moment the grid shuts down for what amounts to political reasons.
To wit: “why would I buy solar panels, installed on my house, which only benefit the electric company?”
And I say that as someone who in fact pays for utility solar (at $20/mo, I find it amusing).
A solar panel system could be configured to power the home during a power failure. The issue is can the panels power the whole home during an outage. The answer is no. You might be able to charge your cell phones but that is about it.
Last week i bought an electric Hyster forklift for $50 at an auction. It has an 850ah hattery pack, its 18 2volt cells.
17 were good, but one isn’t so i cannot get the amperage out of them to run the 36volt motor. All in series. It weighs 2500 pounds. Forklift is in excellent shape.
I can remove the cell and replace it, or cut out the bad one and take the rest to turn into an at home battery bank.
So i can make a 48volt bank or double my amp hours as a 12 volt bank. I bought a 3000 watt pure sine wave inverter. Going to hook this up in the next week or so.
Other options are buying several 6volt golf cart batteries instead and not to use the forklift but sell it at a big profit. Any way anout it i want a battery bank of no less than 3 days backup. Not interest so much into solar or wind power just yet, I’m in Alaska. Maybe later.
Dam it all. Oh.
Good on ya mate. Good buy at the auction.
Batteries are very nasty too when they light off.
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