Re: Wind Solar unreliable compared to Gas Coal Nuclear

"cshenk"  wrote in message 
news:[email protected]...

Scout wrote:

> So now you're effectively paying twice as much for electricity.. what
> was the benefit again?

Easy Scout! I said that was the answer to the setup parameters of the
question.  You change it here to a 'bang for the buck' problem but the
2 are distinctly different problems.

If you want to change to 'best bang for the buck with profits soon',
then you have to add in local factors and cost analysis.  I'm game but
don't try to swap back and forth between them ok?

Simple answer to 'bang for the buck' with or without home battery
system is 'rarely worth it unless thinking small'.  If the grid power
after sundown is 'peak hourly rate', a smaller battery of 4-6kWh may
pay off as in theory, you'll now only draw from the grid at the lowest
rate.  Check your company though as some charge lowest rate it you meet
or exceed a set amount of solar production vs use.  I don't have much
detail on that other than my grid power costs more from 4pm-9pm and I
pay that.

To cover a week's backup power, you have to overgenerate to your usage
and then the battery costs will normally equal the cost of the panels.
This doubles your 'payoff to profit time'.  For most people, this is
where solar 'fails' the budget model.  Without the battery, or a small
one to deal with minor nuisance outages, it may work.  Small ones only
cover a few hours.  Layman's terms: You get what you pay for but best
not buy more than you need.

-------------------------------

Good analysis. I decided that the course was to instrument and record my 
usage, then trim what wasn't necessary, and finally size a solar system with 
backup to the fraction of it that would protect refrigerated food for at 
least a few days of a storm that kept me indoors, unable to buy more or cook 
with electricity. I view it as an insurance policy that I may not want to 
collect on instead of an investment with hope a dividend.

Trimming didn't mean giving up, I put always-on things like the TV antenna 
distribution amp on switches.

As part of the process I found a way to take a shower with water heated in 
kettles on the wood stove. Replace the spray wand of a garden sprayer with a 
sink spray hose. 3/8" plastic tubing fit and sealed in the wand fitting of 
the sprayers I tried, and adapts to the sink spray thread. The hot water 
needs to be tempered to comfortable (115F) before pouring it into the 
sprayer, it's too difficult within it. I can take a Navy shower on one 2 
gallon sprayer but fill two just in case. Sprayers larger than 2 gallons may 
be difficult to handle with slippery footing.

The sink spray hose is long enough if you sit on a plastic stool to wash and 
put the sprayer up on the stool to rinse.