Why isn't everyone as upset about the Supercharger increase as I am?

[wayner]

I am not so sure that there will be a surplus in winter mornings. How do they deal with snow on utility scale solar installations? Are the panels heated to melt the snow, or does the snow have to be cleared manually?

And there will be times in the winter when the sun doesn't shine, like this January. We had very little snow in Toronto this January but we had almost no sun for weeks. Here is my production earlier this year:

 

[bradtem]

I am not so sure that there will be a surplus in winter mornings. How do they deal with snow on utility scale solar installations? Are the panels heated to melt the snow, or does the snow have to be cleared manually?

And there will be times in the winter when the sun doesn't shine, like this January. We had very little snow in Toronto this January but we had almost no sun for weeks. Here is my production earlier this year:
View attachment 917627

Cloudy days still generate power, as much as 25%. Panels keep getting cheaper, they have gotten to the point where having 5x what you need still competes with fossil. And yeah, as long as the energy to melt the snow is less than the energy generated once you get rid of it, it's a win to do that. I don't know if the higher cost of heat pumps with their 400% efficiency at heating actually calls for them. (Their cooling ability can also result in more generation in summertime.)

Anyway, the point is, you car can charge any time. Most cars don't have to plug in every day. Surplus power is cheap power, and so you will mostly charge from surplus power just to save money. There will be less surplus in the winter, you may make less use of surplus power then -- but demand is also lower, though that may change as people move to electric heat. For renewable intermittent sources, loads with storage are a win. That's cars with batteries, and heating/cooling systems with thermal storage which we will get more of.