2 ms·

The cost is now at the point where we don't care so much about actually using every watt and when we do need more watts at a particular time we add more in "ine

The cost is now at the point where we don't care so much about actually using every watt and when we do need more watts at a particular time we add more in "inefficient" configurations to supply it. Whole industries are going to pop up to take advantage of the intermittent very cheap electricity. Also there will be a competitive balance between the cost of storage and the "cost" of non-optimally aligned solar panels.

justincormack 1y ago
So far we dont have any industries popping up, other than battery storage. Intermittent power means unused capex some of the time which means the thing needs to be cheap. Is there a category that fits?
- ZeroGravitas 1y ago
  It's not a new industry but just time based running of water heaters and water pumps is a common usage and was doing timed usage for decades before renewables was a thing, so they just need to adjust their timings.
  - justincormack 1y ago
    Seems that some steel production is suitable.
rockercoaster 1y ago
Labor costs remain the limiting factor for me. The numbers only work out well if I DIY most of the work, despite being in one of the two or three most expensive electricity markets in the US. Like, the panels could be free and it'd barely change this, the labor's so expensive. The other discouraging part is that as I understand it it's tricky to build the systems out a little at a time, e.g. start with five panels and no battery, add another five panels and batteries to the mix a few months later, add another ten panels another year later, stuff like that, without ending up with a lot of duplicated equipment and kind of a mess of an installation.
- colechristensen 1y ago
  While they're more expensive, microinverters help a lot with having a more flexible install plan a few panels at a time because you just buy one inverter per panel. Also helpful if you have shading issues where a little bit of shade won't ruin a whole string of power generation. Especially if you're not trying to achieve an off-grid/backup solution, microinverters keep your install and additions simple. https://enphase.com/store/microinverters https://enphase.com/store/microinverters Also, when you start small you don't need or have any use for a battery. Produce less than you consume or be happy with a little bit of waste and you don't need the complexity of a battery. There are plenty of well planned paths towards a slow accumulation of pieces and features.

justincormack 1y ago

So far we dont have any industries popping up, other than battery storage. Intermittent power means unused capex some of the time which means the thing needs to be cheap. Is there a category that fits?

ZeroGravitas 1y ago
It's not a new industry but just time based running of water heaters and water pumps is a common usage and was doing timed usage for decades before renewables was a thing, so they just need to adjust their timings.
- justincormack 1y ago
  Seems that some steel production is suitable.

rockercoaster 1y ago

Labor costs remain the limiting factor for me. The numbers only work out well if I DIY most of the work, despite being in one of the two or three most expensive electricity markets in the US. Like, the panels could be free and it'd barely change this, the labor's so expensive. The other discouraging part is that as I understand it it's tricky to build the systems out a little at a time, e.g. start with five panels and no battery, add another five panels and batteries to the mix a few months later, add another ten panels another year later, stuff like that, without ending up with a lot of duplicated equipment and kind of a mess of an installation.

colechristensen 1y ago
While they're more expensive, microinverters help a lot with having a more flexible install plan a few panels at a time because you just buy one inverter per panel. Also helpful if you have shading issues where a little bit of shade won't ruin a whole string of power generation. Especially if you're not trying to achieve an off-grid/backup solution, microinverters keep your install and additions simple. https://enphase.com/store/microinverters https://enphase.com/store/microinverters Also, when you start small you don't need or have any use for a battery. Produce less than you consume or be happy with a little bit of waste and you don't need the complexity of a battery. There are plenty of well planned paths towards a slow accumulation of pieces and features.