5 ms·

AC power usage correlates well with Solar Power output, which means that this kind of power demand is super easy to satisfy.

lettergram 4y ago
That was always my thoughts, storage capacity of energy is fairly expensive. Also there are much cheaper ways to cool than we do today. There are a lot of passive cooling systems. An easy one is to bury pipes a few feet (>3-4ft) under ground and run a fan to push air through the pipes. You can also put pipes under a near by creek / pond if you have one near by (I have seen this done). There’s a whole lot of passive systems. Gardens on roofs, sun rooms, underground pipes, water cooled, etc. I’m currently looking at building a house with a combination of these. The problem with all these is the increased price of construction / inability / unreasonableness to adjust old homes. I do think new buildings should take advantage of some of these. But old builds aren’t really possible to convert.
- pfdietz 4y ago
  And thermal applications (like heating and cooling) enable cheap storage: store the product, not the input energy.
- kolinko 4y ago
  At least in my country only ~40% of population lives in single family houses. The rest lives in apartaments with no access to the solutions you mentioned. Also, if you have a single family house, you can just put up solar on the roof, and that will cover AC energy expenditure, all your other energy needs from spring until fall and then have some to give back to the grid.
- jsjohnst 4y ago
  > An easy one is to bury pipes a few feet (>3-4ft) under ground and run a fan to push air through the pipes. You’d be better served running virtually anything else besides “air” through the pipes if efficiency is your goal.
- _aavaa_ 4y ago
  Best investment for me was IR reflecting film for the windows. Would HIGHLY recommend. You can also get it one-way mirrored for added privacy
  - bluefirebrand 4y ago
    The main problem with reflecting heat is that it still winds up somewhere. This can cause temperature immediately outside your window to be higher. Or even reflect it into your neighbours houses. I still have this on my windows too though. It does make a big difference. It's just worth realizing the heat still goes somewhere.
    - _aavaa_ 4y ago
      I can see a concern about neighbours, but a concern about the outside doesn't make much sense to me. If the house wasn't there all of that heat would be going outside anyway.
xfitm3 4y ago
Solar is a luxury, it requires a substantial amount of real estate and a clear view of the sky. Both of which are incompatible with dense urban areas and shared spaces.
- kolinko 4y ago
  You don't need any real estate aside from your own roof access. That covers 40% of population in my home country (Poland). Also, the financing is so easy that you don't need access to much capital even - if you live in a single family house and you can afford electricity then you can afford solar.

lettergram 4y ago

That was always my thoughts, storage capacity of energy is fairly expensive. Also there are much cheaper ways to cool than we do today. There are a lot of passive cooling systems. An easy one is to bury pipes a few feet (>3-4ft) under ground and run a fan to push air through the pipes. You can also put pipes under a near by creek / pond if you have one near by (I have seen this done). There’s a whole lot of passive systems. Gardens on roofs, sun rooms, underground pipes, water cooled, etc. I’m currently looking at building a house with a combination of these. The problem with all these is the increased price of construction / inability / unreasonableness to adjust old homes. I do think new buildings should take advantage of some of these. But old builds aren’t really possible to convert.

pfdietz 4y ago
And thermal applications (like heating and cooling) enable cheap storage: store the product, not the input energy.
kolinko 4y ago
At least in my country only ~40% of population lives in single family houses. The rest lives in apartaments with no access to the solutions you mentioned. Also, if you have a single family house, you can just put up solar on the roof, and that will cover AC energy expenditure, all your other energy needs from spring until fall and then have some to give back to the grid.
jsjohnst 4y ago
> An easy one is to bury pipes a few feet (>3-4ft) under ground and run a fan to push air through the pipes. You’d be better served running virtually anything else besides “air” through the pipes if efficiency is your goal.
_aavaa_ 4y ago
Best investment for me was IR reflecting film for the windows. Would HIGHLY recommend. You can also get it one-way mirrored for added privacy
- bluefirebrand 4y ago
  The main problem with reflecting heat is that it still winds up somewhere. This can cause temperature immediately outside your window to be higher. Or even reflect it into your neighbours houses. I still have this on my windows too though. It does make a big difference. It's just worth realizing the heat still goes somewhere.
  - _aavaa_ 4y ago
    I can see a concern about neighbours, but a concern about the outside doesn't make much sense to me. If the house wasn't there all of that heat would be going outside anyway.

xfitm3 4y ago

Solar is a luxury, it requires a substantial amount of real estate and a clear view of the sky. Both of which are incompatible with dense urban areas and shared spaces.

kolinko 4y ago
You don't need any real estate aside from your own roof access. That covers 40% of population in my home country (Poland). Also, the financing is so easy that you don't need access to much capital even - if you live in a single family house and you can afford electricity then you can afford solar.