4 ms·
I agree the total peak load on the grid would be lower if many houses had residential solar + batteries. The question is, is that an overall cheaper solution th
by creato 5y ago
I agree the total peak load on the grid would be lower if many houses had residential solar + batteries. The question is, is that an overall cheaper solution than if those solar panels and batteries were in utility scale installations?
The article claims yes. I'm saying I'm suspicious of that claim, because I don't understand why it would be the case. All of the issues you mentioned (politics, land, etc.) should be baked in to the cost numbers I mentioned (which are ~3x lower for utilities than residential installations).
- sliken 5y agoWe agree, utility scale solar is cheaper than rooftop. However the vast majority of (over 97%) of electricity in the USA is not from Solar. Also keep in mind, just because your power company can build solar 3x cheaper than you can, does not imply they will sell the power to you are 1/3rd the cost. They have to service the loan, provide a profit, pay off any insurance/risk mitigation, have stock holders, etc. etc. etc. After all the current price you pay for kwh, is a combination of the cheapest power your power company can find, and is often high enough for numerous vendors to offer "free" solar and charge you less than the power company does for power.