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OK, so rooftop solar is a higher <currency-unit>/kW solar farm. That's one argument against it. On the other hand, it is also distributed which from some persp

OK, so rooftop solar is a higher <currency-unit>/kW solar farm. That's one argument against it. On the other hand, it is also distributed which from some perspectives is a benefit, and is also do-able with very little planning and grid extension. So that's one argument for it. How things come out on balance depends a bit on what you value and how you imagine the future.

triceratops 9mo ago
The generation is distributed. That only benefits the people who have panels on their rooftops. If we want them to share the excess with others during a power outage it requires further grid investment. I think homeowners should install solar panels and batteries where it makes economic sense. If there's money left over after funding utility-scale solar then it should be used for EV incentives and/or funding electrified mass transit. The whole point is to electrify everything rapidly and reduce carbon emissions.
- direwolf20 9mo ago
  Solar farms don't work during power outages either. When the power isn't out, you get to use the power from your neighbor's solar panel.
- margalabargala 9mo ago
  You absolutely do not want them sharing the excess with neighbors during a power outage, this is how you get dead linemen. Solar panel grid tied inverters generally will refuse to function if there's no external power coming in. The benefit from the distributed generation means that if your local area has large loads added you don't necessarily need to upgrade the HVDC lines from the power plant to accommodate.
  - triceratops 9mo ago
    Upvoted.
  - bluGill 9mo ago
    This is not as big a problem as it sounds - you cannot provides enough power for you neighbors and so your breakers (fuses) will cut power long before the lineman gets there. though linemen are trained that they are working on a live line unless they have personally shorted it out. There are many other ways a seemingly dead line can be live so they don't take a chance.
    - PaulDavisThe1st 9mo ago
      > This is not as big a problem as it sounds - you cannot provides enough power for you neighbors and so your breakers (fuses) will cut power long before the lineman gets there. The load side (your neighbors) cannot pull more power than is being generated. My 7kW array can generate 7kW and no more. No breakers will trip in a hypothetical scenario where my inverter fails to shut down during an outage, and my neighbors are trying to drawing 10kW.
    - margalabargala 9mo ago
      That's not how that works. Your breakers are sized to support your panel size. If you have 10kW panels that can push 10kW onto the grid when the grid is live, they can push 10kW when the grid is down. The limiting factor is the power your panels produce which in this case is also...10kW. You're probably right about linemen but there are a lot of other reasons not to feed power onto a dead grid.
      - bluGill 9mo ago
        Your main breaker isn't the only one. Your inverters have protection of some sort as well.
        margalabargala 9mo ago
        Yes, all of which is by definition specced high enough to handle the maximum amount of power your panels are able to produce.

triceratops 9mo ago

The generation is distributed. That only benefits the people who have panels on their rooftops. If we want them to share the excess with others during a power outage it requires further grid investment. I think homeowners should install solar panels and batteries where it makes economic sense. If there's money left over after funding utility-scale solar then it should be used for EV incentives and/or funding electrified mass transit. The whole point is to electrify everything rapidly and reduce carbon emissions.

direwolf20 9mo ago
Solar farms don't work during power outages either. When the power isn't out, you get to use the power from your neighbor's solar panel.
margalabargala 9mo ago
You absolutely do not want them sharing the excess with neighbors during a power outage, this is how you get dead linemen. Solar panel grid tied inverters generally will refuse to function if there's no external power coming in. The benefit from the distributed generation means that if your local area has large loads added you don't necessarily need to upgrade the HVDC lines from the power plant to accommodate.
- triceratops 9mo ago
  Upvoted.
- bluGill 9mo ago
  This is not as big a problem as it sounds - you cannot provides enough power for you neighbors and so your breakers (fuses) will cut power long before the lineman gets there. though linemen are trained that they are working on a live line unless they have personally shorted it out. There are many other ways a seemingly dead line can be live so they don't take a chance.
  - PaulDavisThe1st 9mo ago
    > This is not as big a problem as it sounds - you cannot provides enough power for you neighbors and so your breakers (fuses) will cut power long before the lineman gets there. The load side (your neighbors) cannot pull more power than is being generated. My 7kW array can generate 7kW and no more. No breakers will trip in a hypothetical scenario where my inverter fails to shut down during an outage, and my neighbors are trying to drawing 10kW.
  - margalabargala 9mo ago
    That's not how that works. Your breakers are sized to support your panel size. If you have 10kW panels that can push 10kW onto the grid when the grid is live, they can push 10kW when the grid is down. The limiting factor is the power your panels produce which in this case is also...10kW. You're probably right about linemen but there are a lot of other reasons not to feed power onto a dead grid.
    - bluGill 9mo ago
      Your main breaker isn't the only one. Your inverters have protection of some sort as well.
      - margalabargala 9mo ago
        Yes, all of which is by definition specced high enough to handle the maximum amount of power your panels are able to produce.