All these things claim to do is make heat. You still need a way to turn heat to electricity. It is much cheaper to turn heat into electricity on a big scale than small scale. And servicing a couple hundred million boilers is going to be more expensive that servicing the grid.
The grid will probably survive.
Imagine having self sustaining grids that take care of 50 individual states. Can you visualize the authority that goes out the window in DC’s efforts to control the states. Poof Like magic, independence arises once again!
I was a Navy Nuc, which means I know enough to be dangerous but not enough for a serious discussion. I do, however, know the difference between thermal energy and electricity, which is why I specified an electric generating plant. I just kind of wandered into fantasy.
The grid will probably survive.
I have to disagree. While it is cheaper to produce power in a centralized unit than many local ones, there is also the cost of power distribution, as well as other factors.
Give the average person a choice between buying power from a central power source at reduced rates, but still susceptible to power outages (not to mention government intervention, etc.), or paying a little more (but still very little compared to current power costs) to go off-grid, and which do you think they'll choose?
I have a bit of money invested in utilities, and I tell you, I'm watching this very closely because I want to be the first to sell if it is real. A few grandmas may want to stick with their utility provider, but 99% of us are going to go off-grid as fast as we can buy the equipment and install it. No more losing power during storms, or because of fried squirrels and raccoons, etc...
The lack of pollution and radiation would mean that power plants could be built much closer to the residential areas that consume power, reducing the need for massive transmission systems. Lower generating costs would mean that it would be more viable to have spare generating capacity sitting idle in case of need rather than having to depend on the grid for peak power.
True, but think of the efficiency of a "whole home" generator with the "waste heat" over and above electricity needs running your hot water heater, home furnace, and air conditioner (it "is" possible to run the cooling cycle of AC on a simple heat source"..desorption units).
The temperatures reached are plenty high enough to generate really high-pressure steam.
I wonder if there wouldn't be a resurgence of the "Stanley Steamer" (i.e steam powered cars).