Alternative Energy Investor Discussions

[The Blue Owl]

Fortunately for us, our enemies are not that smart.

Actually, that's just the thing the I article I linked to made me reconsider.

 

[Subhuman]

I don't see much discussion around one particular strategic advantage of Distributed PV: national security.

This WSJ article details a little-known, but quite frightening, attack on a California power station in April 2013. The article is a stark reminder of just how vulnerable our power grid is, and how catastrophic a series of coordinated surgical attacks like the one described would be.

Even in the absence of sabotage, we are one big solar storm away from a North America-wide blackout that could last for months or years. The giant transformers keeping the grid humming are hard to replace, since they are custom-made and making one takes months. If they go out in large numbers, it could spell the end of the world as we know it in the blink of an eye.

Contrast this with a world where a large percentage of power generation is distributed all over the continent. The economy would still take a large hit, but the likelihood of panic and riots would be mitigated by ensuring that some power is still available no matter what. This kind of resiliency cannot even be contemplated in the current centralized paradigm.

Personally, I want to install my own PV system for this resiliency alone, before any other consideration.

In my opinion this is one hugely overlooked benefit to solar power. Installing solar panels on individual buldings essentially decentralizes the power grid. anything that is decentralized is nearly impossible to turn off.

 

[dhrivnak]

In my opinion these is one hugely overlooked benefit to solar power. Installing solar panels on individual buldings essentially decentralizes the power grid. anything that is decentralized is nearly impossible to turn off.

Not sure it is that simple as the VAST majority of home/small business PV is grid tied and when the grid goes down so does your solar. Even if you have the new SunnyBoy SMA you still have to go to the unit, throw a switch and then you are limited to 110V and 1500 watts. I could not even run our microwave on it. Id did keep my refrigerator running which is a help but it far from protecting the grid.

 

[JRP3]

Well they should be able to utilize an automatic transfer switch such as back up generators use that automatically disconnects from the grid when grid power is lost. Adding some battery storage would also allow more power to be drawn for short periods.

 

[InTheShadows]

Not sure it is that simple as the VAST majority of home/small business PV is grid tied and when the grid goes down so does your solar. Even if you have the new SunnyBoy SMA you still have to go to the unit, throw a switch and then you are limited to 110V and 1500 watts. I could not even run our microwave on it. Id did keep my refrigerator running which is a help but it far from protecting the grid.

Were you able to start your fridge with it? My fridge uses 1300 watts and I didn't even try it because the startup draw is typically 2x the run current.

 

[Subhuman]

Not sure it is that simple as the VAST majority of home/small business PV is grid tied and when the grid goes down so does your solar. Even if you have the new SunnyBoy SMA you still have to go to the unit, throw a switch and then you are limited to 110V and 1500 watts. I could not even run our microwave on it. Id did keep my refrigerator running which is a help but it far from protecting the grid.

Sure there are some challenges that exist today but battery backup will be huge for getting people of off the grid and we all know what Tesla plan is on that front. Also the percentage of structures with solar arrays that can support all electical use are few and far between but going forward this will all change. Think about the huge benefits not just in regards to terrorism but also natural disaters. This not going to happen overnight but it will happen.

 

[Robert.Boston]

In my opinion this is one hugely overlooked benefit to solar power. Installing solar panels on individual buldings essentially decentralizes the power grid. anything that is decentralized is nearly impossible to turn off.

As other commenters have noted, it's not as simple as that. But there's a tremendous interest in microgrids today to achieve this decentralization. For example, a university might have a collection of solar, combined-heat-and-power, and fuel cells that provide most of the campus' power. The micro-grid would likely be grid-tied so that it doesn't have to cover all its power needs on site, but if the grid went down, the micro-grid could stand alone.

 

[AudubonB]

Send me a pm with all of your system details, I'm a SunPower dealer and will help get you pointed in the right direction. Can you send me the type of pipe you used and the size of the footer too? You will likely need a new rack too since they have changed sizes.

Check your PMs, Shadowman.

 

[ckessel]

More a curiosity question than anything else, but any reason why JASO does their quarterly reports so far after the quarter end? Looking back, they're usually nearly 2 months after and their Q4's are nearly 3 months (late march) in 2011 and 2012.

 

[krla]

JKS report is out

JinkoSolar Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2013 Financial Results
http://ir.jinkosolar.com/zhen/en/press.php

Diluted earnings per American depositary share ("ADS") was US$0.96

Total revenues were US$361.4 million

- - - Updated - - -

JKS First Quarter and Full Year 2014 Guidance

For the first quarter of 2014, total solar module shipments are expected to be between 440 MW and 470 MW. For the full year 2014, total solar module shipments are expected to be in the range of 2.3 GW to 2.5 GW, with total project development scale expected to be above 400 MW.

so that is an increase of 30-40% on 2013 : 1,765.1 MW -> 2,3-2,5 GWof solar modules

 

[772]

Looks like Pomerantz Law Firm has an axe to grid again

SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of SolarCity Corporation - SCTY - Yahoo Finance

 

[austinEV]

Dang wish I had Plug calls. up 23% ahead of earnings.

 

[Russell]

Looks like Pomerantz Law Firm has an axe to grid again

SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of SolarCity Corporation - SCTY - Yahoo Finance

Same firm that started the Class Action against Tesla in Nov 2013.

 

[jeff_adams]

Same firm that started the Class Action against Tesla in Nov 2013.

Why does the term ambulance chaser come to mind?

 

[mershaw2001]

Elon chaser!

 

[glhs272]

I guess they want to sue Solar City for making their investors too much money.

 

[Jonathan Hewitt]

I guess they want to sue Solar City for making their investors too much money.

Between SCTY and TSLA I made so much money I was forced to buy a Model S! Oh the pain, the torture, someone make it stop!

 

[InTheShadows]

Between SCTY and TSLA I made so much money I was forced to buy a Model S! Oh the pain, the torture, someone make it stop!

Keep making more and you will be forced to buy solar for the 30% tax credit. . [first world problems]

 

[Jonathan Hewitt]

Keep making more and you will be forced to buy solar for the 30% tax credit. . [first world problems]

Yeah, that's my current plan. So horrible!! It's going to have to be a pretty large system, too, at this rate...

 

[kenliles]

Between SCTY and TSLA I made so much money I was forced to buy a Model S! Oh the pain, the torture, someone make it stop!

Pain in the S