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Actually yes, I did the math a few months ago and if you have a gas generator such as [1], you can produce electricity from PG&E's gas for cheaper than PG&E's o

Actually yes, I did the math a few months ago and if you have a gas generator such as [1], you can produce electricity from PG&E's gas for cheaper than PG&E's own electrical rates. Details: The generator linked below can produce 17 kWh of electricity by burning 307 cubic feet of natural gas. That translates to 3.07 therms of gas, and looking at my bill PG&E charges around $2.3 / therm, so the generator would produce electricity at a marginal cost of $0.41/kWh, cheaper than what I pay. Of course this ignores maintenance costs and the upfront cost of the generator itself ($6,000), not to mention environmental costs. [1] https://www.generac.com/generaccorporate/media/library/content/all-products/generators/home-generators/guardian-series/20kva/generac-guardian-75c2ea99594107929e5ef958b3e021df-(3).pdf https://www.generac.com/generaccorporate/media/library/conte...

more_corn 2y ago
I hate to be that guy, but instead of running a generator why not deploy rooftop solar? If we’re already ignoring upfront costs it generates your electricity for zero dollars.
- readthenotes1 2y ago
  And then buy the generator for nights. Last I checked, batteries were prohibitively expensive.
  - rickydroll 2y ago
    You can get 30 kW (EG4-LifePower4) for $9000. Depending on your handyman skills, you can assemble most of the system yourself and have an electrician check it over, tie it into your electrical service, and sign off on the project. If I were doing solar and batteries today, I would not try to feed any power to the grid except as part of a virtual power plant that pays me peak rates.
- talldatethrow 2y ago
  You can also use a plugin hybrid as a quiet generator and battery bank. My Chevy volt kicks out 2kw into the 12v system bus when on, and then you just need an inverter. Once you use up the available 10kwh battery pack, the gas engine will just turn on and it makes about 10kwh per gallon.
- fragmede 2y ago
  be that guy. if you've got the space for it it's definitely under consideration but there's only so many dollars to spend on things. solar plus batteries is the dream but I'm not made of money. Unfortunately part of these changes actually disincentivzes paying for solar which is just so aggravating. nationalizing pg&e when?

more_corn 2y ago

I hate to be that guy, but instead of running a generator why not deploy rooftop solar? If we’re already ignoring upfront costs it generates your electricity for zero dollars.

readthenotes1 2y ago
And then buy the generator for nights. Last I checked, batteries were prohibitively expensive.
- rickydroll 2y ago
  You can get 30 kW (EG4-LifePower4) for $9000. Depending on your handyman skills, you can assemble most of the system yourself and have an electrician check it over, tie it into your electrical service, and sign off on the project. If I were doing solar and batteries today, I would not try to feed any power to the grid except as part of a virtual power plant that pays me peak rates.
talldatethrow 2y ago
You can also use a plugin hybrid as a quiet generator and battery bank. My Chevy volt kicks out 2kw into the 12v system bus when on, and then you just need an inverter. Once you use up the available 10kwh battery pack, the gas engine will just turn on and it makes about 10kwh per gallon.
fragmede 2y ago
be that guy. if you've got the space for it it's definitely under consideration but there's only so many dollars to spend on things. solar plus batteries is the dream but I'm not made of money. Unfortunately part of these changes actually disincentivzes paying for solar which is just so aggravating. nationalizing pg&e when?