4 ms·

Before the freeze, I ordered this generator - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q1DLKBG/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q1DLKBG/ (yet to receive it tho

Before the freeze, I ordered this generator - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q1DLKBG/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q1DLKBG/ (yet to receive it tho) As stated on the website, it can provide 9.5kWh per half a gallon, which is about $1 in Texas right now. Which becomes about 10c/kWh or $100/MW. Question is - why we do not hear stories about homeowners selling their gas-generated electricity into the grid and capturing the difference between $0.1/kWh and $9/kWh?

AtlasBarfed 6y ago
Can you reverse meter in Texas? Did you price solar panels too?
rcurry 6y ago
My guess is that the window for that kind of arbitrage closed faster than people would have been able to get set up to transact against it; I think you need a special account and meter if you want to sell power back to the grid.
mbreese 6y ago
Does Texas allow home owners to push power back onto the grid? I know this is common in some places, particularly for solar, but is that a thing in Texas? The cost of the equipment to allow customers to sell energy back onto the grid has got to be far more expensive than the savings from adding an individual 9.5 kW system. Particularly a gas powered system that won’t be consistently available.
- barbacoa 6y ago
  If you tried to feedback to the grid you would need a generator that can phase match the grid power. Don't imagine any residential grade generators that are rated to do that. Plugging a regular generator into your house grid with the power on would cause very bad things to happen as you have 2 high power electrical waves fight one another and would burn down your house in quick order.
  - mbreese 6y ago
    There are systems that do allow for this, but the most common case I've seen has been residential solar. I personally doubt that this would be possible for a normal gas generator to work this way -- particularly as you said because the waves would never be in sync. At least with a solar system, you're already phase-matching the incoming AC, so could push power out at the correct phase.
Spooky23 6y ago
Because no sane grid operator would allow that without permitting and appropriate controls. There are constraints to what can be pushed out in a residential area. Plus the pollution would be horrific at scale. Also, these types of generators are not the best for sustained use.

AtlasBarfed 6y ago

Can you reverse meter in Texas? Did you price solar panels too?

rcurry 6y ago

My guess is that the window for that kind of arbitrage closed faster than people would have been able to get set up to transact against it; I think you need a special account and meter if you want to sell power back to the grid.

mbreese 6y ago

Does Texas allow home owners to push power back onto the grid? I know this is common in some places, particularly for solar, but is that a thing in Texas? The cost of the equipment to allow customers to sell energy back onto the grid has got to be far more expensive than the savings from adding an individual 9.5 kW system. Particularly a gas powered system that won’t be consistently available.

barbacoa 6y ago
If you tried to feedback to the grid you would need a generator that can phase match the grid power. Don't imagine any residential grade generators that are rated to do that. Plugging a regular generator into your house grid with the power on would cause very bad things to happen as you have 2 high power electrical waves fight one another and would burn down your house in quick order.
- mbreese 6y ago
  There are systems that do allow for this, but the most common case I've seen has been residential solar. I personally doubt that this would be possible for a normal gas generator to work this way -- particularly as you said because the waves would never be in sync. At least with a solar system, you're already phase-matching the incoming AC, so could push power out at the correct phase.

Spooky23 6y ago

Because no sane grid operator would allow that without permitting and appropriate controls. There are constraints to what can be pushed out in a residential area. Plus the pollution would be horrific at scale. Also, these types of generators are not the best for sustained use.