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That's was not the intention nor how I would interpret it but it's certainly no worse than the article making rooftop solar out to be the "culprit" as you interpret it.I guess I fundamentally reject the idea that one is better than the other or that it’s somehow “big solar’s” fault and they’re ruining it for everyone like the word “culprit” implies.
Can't scale? Just because of the duck curve goes negative at times? Even the article states that having to curtail solar production does not mean the economics is not workable.Homeowners have been spoiled by treating the grid as a year-round battery and the simple fact is that can’t scale any more.
Yes. There can never be too much solar, there can only be not enough storage.That's was not the intention nor how I would interpret it but it's certainly no worse than the article making rooftop solar out to be the "culprit" as you interpret it.
Can't scale? Just because of the duck curve goes negative at times? Even the article states that having to curtail solar production does not mean the economics is not workable.
Storage is good, but I think that there are other, perhaps more cost effective options.Yes. There can never be too much solar, there can only be not enough storage.
Dramatically increases the cost of solar however. Gone are the days when homeowners could just use what they needed and get paid for any surplus they sent to the grid without any battery/concern for supply/demand mismatches.Yes. There can never be too much solar, there can only be not enough storage.
To my way of thinking, it doesn't have to be just storage, rather more ways to absorb excess/low cost production; e.g. production sensitive EV charging levels and rates, building preheat/precooling, hydrogen production, smelter heating, increased pump rates, even thermal storage, etc.
Also, resale value. We’ve agreed on terms to sell our house (closing soon) and we had a $150k price benefit attributed towards the sale from the solar panels, Powerwalls and the other energy reduction things we did (upgraded many of our electronics/appliances to be more energy efficient, some windows during the remodel, and more insulation)…Austin Energy has a value of solar plan where all electricity generated by ones solar panels are paid a fixed price ($0.09). No matter if it is consumed locally our sent out on the grid. Heck, even on battery with the grid out, you are getting paid for the solar you use.
No benefit to batteries here except as a backup. Which of course does have some value.
If the public utilities planned well they'd have storage for that what is generated in excess and be able to deliver that energy during demand periods when residential solar is not offering surplus to the grid. This is a push - pull problem. Net metering to incentivize customers to add solar. Sure not prolonged duration, but there has to be investment in infrastructure by the public utility to created storage or its back on the consumer to add batteries which may work for the individuals who can afford it/ have the space, but it won't fix the energy demand problem in the slightest.You may well be right, I was trying to extend the benefit of the doubt. If people understood electricity daily demand curves and how large scale utilities have to respond to fluctuating demand, they might understand why net metering shouldn’t continue indefinitely. It was a gift incentive that couldn’t scale up extensively. It’s amazing how power plants micro manage capacity as it is, net metering is a lose-lose for utilities and consumers at large (beyond net metering direct beneficiaries).
The electric utility might provide a free house battery for someone with a medical need for more reliable power.The neighbor across the way is on oxygen, and we'll be in a place to help him recharge his battery should he need assistance. All good.
Curious if you took advantage of Xcel's Battery Connect and/or factored it into your calcs? I've been off and on considering it partially because of this but more just for the QoL. We've had a surprising number outages in the last few years. The preemptive blackout doesn't inspire confidence in the future around here!So our expected breakeven minus the battery before resale benefits on the house was about 12 years, given my assumptions around future rate increases. With the battery, obviously much worse, but I'm figuring we can likely get at least half of our initial investment back when we sell the house
Yes. We did sign up for and have been accepted into the Xcel program. The payback period I mentioned above was for solar only, however.Curious if you took advantage of Xcel's Battery Connect and/or factored it into your calcs? I've been off and on considering it partially because of this but more just for the QoL. We've had a surprising number outages in the last few years. The preemptive blackout doesn't inspire confidence in the future around here!
Pretty much sums up my view of the subject, and the motivations of my wife and I. Losing grid power here is fairly routine, happens a little more often than twice a month - 24 times in 10 months of operation. Except I've already retired, and our future plans don't involve moving.Interesting convo. We went higher end with our system, and spent a bit more to ensure we could fit our needs (compact roof, moderate usage, big trees all around, expected increases in rates and decreasing grid reliability going forward). So our expected breakeven minus the battery before resale benefits on the house was about 12 years, given my assumptions around future rate increases. With the battery, obviously much worse, but I'm figuring we can likely get at least half of our initial investment back when we sell the house (this isn't the house we can grow old in, and I'm nearing retirement). Time will tell.
I agree with much of what's been said above. Part of our motivation has been to do what we can to mitigate our own carbon footprint. I'm less concerned with the strictly financial calculations, although I'm not ignoring them either. There are intangible benefits that are hard to value in dollars.
Within less than a month of our turning on our PW, we had a major high wind event together with a red flag fire warning, and our utility cut power to 55k people immediately to our north. Although we never lost grid power, I'm feeling a lot less foolish about having spent the extra money on a backup battery. We've also had 6 outages at our place in the last 8 months, 4 of which were just momentary. I'm quite happy with the system so far. The neighbor across the way is on oxygen, and we'll be in a place to help him recharge his battery should he need assistance. All good.