Should Homeowners With Solar Panels Pay To Maintain Electrical Grid?

The costs of solar energy are plummeting, and now are about on par with the electricity generated at big power plants. This new reality intensifies a long-running business and regulatory battle, between the mainline electric utility companies and newer firms that provide solar systems for homeowners' rooftops. Sometimes the rivalry looks more like hardball politics than marketplace economics.

The way rooftop solar typically works, the homeowner leases rooftop panels from a company that owns and installs them. It can be an expensive proposition, but the homeowner saves some money by drawing less power from the utility company's electric plants, and even by selling some solar power back up the electrical grid to the utility.

Utilities say rooftop solar users need to pay their fair share to maintain that grid.

David Owens, a vice president of the Edison Electric Institute, the trade association of investor-owned utilities, says they want to preserve the choice that customers have. "If they want to put on rooftop solar, that is their right. And we think it's a great technology. What we are arguing for is fairness in paying for the grid," he says.

The rooftop solar companies say the utilities just want to drive them out of business. "It's a state-by-state battle where the utilities are trying to stop competition," says Bryan Miller, vice president of solar company SunRun and co-chair of a trade group, The Alliance for Solar Choice. Utilities "are monopolies," he says. "Monopolies don't like competition, and that's what these fights are about."

Driving the competition are solar power and other new technologies, which reduce the demand to generate more electricity.

Then you will probably be interested in the following. Matt also runs the permsteading discussion board. Lots of good info and ideas there.

Rocket Mass Heater Cast Core Build
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ANMXGrxgnE

Rocket Mass Heater Cast Core Part II The Heat Riser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqvTdbRSlwk

Matt’s Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/broaudio/videos

http://www.permsteading.com/

And see the comments of Ken Peavey in the following (foreman and sometimes field supervisor for an industrial refractory contractor)—very good info on casting.

http://www.permies.com/t/21815/rocket-stoves/castable-burn-chamber

New core builds are often tested outdoors first when feasible, areas around units are relatively fireproof (floors, clearances, fireproof barriers, smoke mitigation, extinguishers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, etc.).

The Ma$onry Heater A$$ociation is also interested, of course (dollar signs because of Mechanical Code requirement for certified builders).

http://www.handprintpress.com/home-heat/recent-research-on-rocket-mass-heaters-and-bell-design/

"Can you quantify it’s performance and payback?"

Cost recovery will very from one kind of build and climate to another. I only recently built up the PV solar electric system enough here to keep the computer on and connected to sensors for data gathering and analysis. Pretty busy around here for now.

But Gary Reysa, retired aviation engineer at builditsolar.com (site linked in one of my previous comments in this thread), posted some payback time info and other info about his systems at his site. Remember that these systems are built and modified in many ways to fit various situations (e.g., heavily insulated concrete tanks), but they'll work well just about anywhere.

The Solar Shed -- Using Solar Collectors Mounted on an Outbuilding for House Heating
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/SolarShed/solarshed.htm

$1000 Solar Water Heater --Overview
http://www.builditsolar.com/Experimental/PEXColDHW/Overview.htm
(best tutorial to start with, in my opinion)
Look for the info on system sizing, BTUs (regarding the water storage tank), etc.

Gary's climate in Montana during winter (farther north, less sunny but lower elevation and generally warmer situation farther from peaks) is only a little warmer but slightly less sunny than mine.

The following might be useful when reading about the BTUs stored in a tank of water.

A BTU is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a pound of water by 1 degree, Fahrenheit. A gallon of water weighs about 8.34 pounds at 62 degrees, Fahrenheit.

I was completely new to thermal tech. not long ago and am still not very educated in it.

All of that said, passive solar builds are generally much more cost effective than active ones. South-facing sun rooms with greenhouse vents can be very nice if well built.

The following is the first in a series of tutorials on building a collector that is great for modular/seasonal, quick-disconnect installs. Very light weight and easy to handle.

Hot and Cold: D.I.Y. Solar Hot Water Collectors (Part 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPxQVv1hmQE

"They still benefit from the grid - stoplights, for example. They should contribute."

Taxpayers/feepayers with PV solar systems already pay for those and for other energy used for comforts by the following (not to mention the medical insurance benefits and pensions).

Heavy Hitters: Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2014
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php
“2 American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $60,949,129 [Democrat] 81% [Republican] 1%”

Leviathan (Uncle Sam employs more people than you think)
National Review ^ | 02/03/2011 | Iain Murray
"...nearly 40 million Americans employed in some way by government."

About "70 million" people are receiving good incomes but are also steeped in debt and can't borrow more for big ticket items (see groups above).

one big power company pays one big political campaign contribution.

too many solar panel owners are too hard to obtain political contributions.

(see cromnibus)

What happens to government inspectors and utility panels when all homes are independent.

What happens is everyone pays more for less electricity.
In unusually disadvantageous weather conditions they go without electricity. Home industry (like welding) disappears. Heavy industry must charge it’s customers for the higher price of reliable energy.

Hardly worth the advantage of independence for most people.
Though strictly low energy intensity areas may profit from something in this vein since they already commute to their jobs and could have a limited grid for limited high intensity energy demand.

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