Solar

[ZoomZoom]

I’ve seen up close and personal what severe weather (hurricane) can do to a solar farm. I’m sure there are pictures on line with tornado and hail damage out there.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...mas-Solar-Farm




The concern I have is are the utility companies going to treat solar power producers like they now treat homeowners? Access and grid maintenance fees is the norm now.

[Cajun90]

Awesome news as this will be US manufacturing utilizing primarily US sourced materials.

Solar still has a ways to go as far as efficiency and we still haven't solved the storage issue. Today's panels have around a 25 yr. life expectancy with a 6-10 year pay back.
I recently had a job that required removal of some old solar panels to conduct roof maintenance and the client wanted them reinstalled. They were at least 20 years old. I had him contact his electrical company and get the net metering info from them. Come to find out the panels were barely producing anymore. They went in the dumpster instead of going back on the roof.

Agree with Louisiana84 on independence and off grid. I believe solars current potential is much bigger in Africa/Central America and other non "first world" countries than almost anywhere else. Under developed areas can take advantage of solar right now. In many of these countries the power grids are completely unreliable and can often be used as a political pawn. Even without a storage system solar would be more reliable than many of these countries existing grids.

[CrazyCajun]

It’s not the solar power that’s the problem, it’s the battery banks. People always over look this issue with “green energy” . Solar and wind are not green at all and damage the environment just as much if not more than oil and gas. It is also not reliable, the wind stops and the sun goes away.

[Louisiana84]

It’s not the solar power that’s the problem, it’s the battery banks. People always over look this issue with “green energy” . Solar and wind are not green at all and damage the environment just as much if not more than oil and gas. It is also not reliable, the wind stops and the sun goes away.

When it comes to solar and wind, power storage is application-specific. You need what you need. If your wife is perimenopausal, you will need a lot.

[CrazyCajun]

When it comes to solar and wind, power storage is application-specific. You need what you need. If your wife is perimenopausal, you will need a lot.

how about when its 115 degrees outside and you running 2 ac units? how much battery bank you think you need to run that? have you ever seen a battery bank on an offshore platform? Batteries are toxic, extremely toxic. Its just not practical, not down here anyway and it for damn sure isnt green. The batteries, the panels, and the windmills..,nothing green about them. It takes more energy to produce a windwill than it could ever put out, counterproductive.

[Boomer]

how about when it’s 115 degrees outside and you running 2 ac units? how much battery bank you think you need to run that? have you ever seen a battery bank on an offshore platform? Batteries are toxic, extremely toxic. It’s just not practical, not down here anyway and it for damn sure isnt green. The batteries, the panels, and the windmills..,nothing green about them. It takes more energy to produce a windwill than it could ever put out, counterproductive.

……I sure hope this discussion turns out to be interesting/educational like the Miss river flood and spillway saga…..I think there was a time when UL was gonna be in NIberia…..so they now have what is left of the oil field before Trump gets back, the Monkey farm and production/shipping along with this latest triumph!. Maybe we can NIL Amos back home!!!

[Louisiana84]

how about when its 115 degrees outside and you running 2 ac units? how much battery bank you think you need to run that? have you ever seen a battery bank on an offshore platform? Batteries are toxic, extremely toxic. Its just not practical, not down here anyway and it for damn sure isnt green. The batteries, the panels, and the windmills..,nothing green about them. It takes more energy to produce a windwill than it could ever put out, counterproductive.

The only green I care about is cash money. Give me a Tesla Solar Roof and four Powerwalls and I am good.

[CrazyCajun]

The only green I care about is cash money. Give me a Tesla Solar Roof and four Powerwalls and I am good.

$15k powerwalls? so $60k in powerwalls? that comes out to a $420 a month electric bill for 12 years just to break even on the battery banks and they wont last 12 years. That doesnt even begin to consider the cost for a solar roof.

[CajunNation]

Electric/Solar/Wind is window dressing. The real conversion from Fossil is Nuclear. Specifically, this....

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/n...reactor-design

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued its final rule

in the Federal Register to certify NuScale Power’s small modular reactor.

The company’s power module becomes the first SMR design certified by the NRC and just the seventh reactor design cleared for use in the United States.

The rule takes effects February 21, 2023 and equips the nation with a new clean power source...

[CrazyCajun]

Electric/Solar/Wind is window dressing. The real conversion from Fossil is Nuclear. Specifically, this....

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/n...reactor-design

electric/solar/wind is a toxic money grab that makes people feel good.