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Is roof top solar going to help anything? It's my understanding that roof top solar does little to reduce peak loads when the sun is not out. But decreases dema
by xupybd 9y ago
Is roof top solar going to help anything? It's my understanding that roof top solar does little to reduce peak loads when the sun is not out. But decreases demand during the day. Meaning you need coal plants standing at the ready to catch the peak.
- esmi 9y agoThe article addresses this question. "While net-zero remains an admirable goal, getting there is not yet cost-effective, state officials and experts said. And it fails to address the state’s ultimate goal of curbing global warming. Because electric utilities now rely on renewable energy for much of their power, daytime energy already is quite clean, said McAllister, the lead state commissioner on energy efficiency. At night when there’s no solar power, people come home, turn on the lights, the TV and possibly the air conditioning and start pulling power from the grid, he said. Some gas-powered generating plants then are fired up to help meet that additional load, boosting carbon emissions. “That additional (home-generated) solar kilowatt-hour isn’t worth very much because it’s displacing what is already clean energy,” McAllister said. “That net-zero home is not a net-carbon-zero home.”"