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>The problem is that peak energy usage now occurs after sunset. So no matter how many solar panels you stack on your home, around 6-7 PM the coal, oil, and gas
by magduf 9y ago
>The problem is that peak energy usage now occurs after sunset. So no matter how many solar panels you stack on your home, around 6-7 PM the coal, oil, and gas power plants all have to spin up to their max capacity.
Where are you getting this assumption from?
In hot climates like Arizona, peak energy usage during the summer months is in the afternoon, not the evening. When it's 115 degrees outside, that's when everyone's A/C is running at full capacity. It gets cooler in the evening and A/C usage goes down then.
- lelandbatey 9y agoThe claim that energy usage peaks after sunset comes from the diagram[0] in the OP's link[1]. In the diagram, you can see that solar power peaked at around 3pm on the graphed day, then declined to near-zero by 6pm. Meanwhile, the total load rose steadily throughout the day, peaking at about 9pm before declining. [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Duck_Curve_CA-ISO_2016-10-22.agr.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Duck_Curve_CA-ISO_2016-10... [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_curve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_curve
- magduf 9y agoI'd like to see what the curve looks like for southern Arizona and also southern Nevada. California (at least in the populated parts) isn't remotely as hot as either of those places.
- jzl 9y agoI think the duck curve is more about residential usage rather than overall grid usage. And this conversation is about home solar installations rather than commercial ones in offices and places of work.