Renewable Energy Questions/Discussion > Solar (heating or electric)

Need some math help on system production..

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tomw:

--- Quote from: eidolon on April 16, 2017, 07:28:25 am ---RE people are just freeloaders on the grid.

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I beg to differ!

a nearly $20K investment is a far cry from "free" anything.

The freeloaders are those that uncaringly waste energy gathered millions of years ago like it can last forever.

Takes all kinds to make a world.

Tom

Wolvenar:
Our cooperative will not give out the numbers without a ton of official documentation so I have not checked into it in some time, however..
The last I looked, the mark up was almost 300% from the initial wholesaler, and the various cooperatives. Of that they had a projection of a bit over half of this to be used in operation costs (wages insurances etc), some in future infrastructure investments, machinery etc. The rest are supposedly *eventually* distributed to the cooperative members as the profit share. Seems though there is something like a 20 year delay before anyone sees these on average. A large percentage will never see these payouts is my guess.
I was not allowed full access to everything of course as I wasn't willing to do the mountain of paperwork, and clearances etc they required to get more info. I could show up at more of the meetings I suppose and gleam some info from that but time is not something I ever have much of.

Our cooperative says its all for RE, but makes it almost impossible to interconnect.

I am in the process of rethinking/designing our system and looking for the much larger knowledge of those on this site.

DJ:

--- Quote from: rossw on April 15, 2017, 04:23:46 pm ---I'm not sure the disparity in prices reflects the cost however, but remember also that there is a great deal of "gold plating" done.


--- Quote ---
Gold Plating?
Seems to me like it's solid 24Ct!

While I agree logically there has to be a maintenance cost, That cost is nothing like the highway robbery Difference between the (here) .06c Kwh they give you for what you generate and the .30C they charge the guy next door or down the street for his " Green " energy that comes straight out of my panels.
The poles, wires insulators etc are going to last 20-30 years least they have in my street because I have been here longer than that and the ONLY one they ever worked on was across the street when a stolen car  hit and snapped in.  Took them barely 90 Min from the time the repair crew arrived till the time they drove off job done.

I take exception to being treated like an idiot when they say it's maintenance cost instead of being honest and calling it what it is, Profiteering.
I understand businesses are there to make money but it's one thing for an essential service to cry poor mouth, Always make out they are hard done by and blame their customers while at the same time continually posting record after tax profits.

They then want to go on about how green and environmentally friendly they are  while, like everyone else, gouging anyone silly enough to fall for it and milking it for all they are worth.
If they were fairdinkum about RE and all the rest them lie through their teeth about, they would give you Equal return on what you generate as a matter of course because all this maintenance would be paid for by the built in cost of what they sell.



--- Quote ---
If you look at the energy market, as they get more "smart meters" out there, peoples time-of-use charging will probably get closer to the point of instantaneous-cost calculated. It is interesting to note that recently in parts of the USA, the wholesale price of electricity at certain times of the day was actually negative. Yes, they PAID you to take power.

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Smart meters are nothing but yet another way of gouging the customer.
Does anyone REALLY think they would be spending ten of Millions on these things just to help their customers save money?
Please no one tell me you are that silly!
The ONLY reason they are investing in these things is so THEY can make more money and spin doctor it off as helping the customer.  What a load of Horse Ship!

If they were genuine about helping clients save money, they would be saying  " Off peak hot water costs 11c KWH to buy from us but we only pay you 6c KWH so make sure you get a timer that switches you hot water over to the day when you are generating solar power for nothing.
Anyone ever seen that from a power company? No.  Any why not? Because they aren't going to cut their own throat on making profit are they and who would expect them to?

So why do people believe they are installing smart meters?  ::)
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MadScientist267:
Seems to me, the definition of "net" is all borked up.

Using numbers just plucked out from somewhere above that seemed to stick... I fail to see what is net about paying shy of a nickel for what you overproduce, then hit you for near enough a quarter when you pull it back. Whatever the numbers are, if they're not equal, I don't call that net.

I guess my post here should be taken purely as editorial, because obviously I'm not going to be able to change the wording in the industry's dictionary... assuming they even have one... (I know it's referring to the kWh count and not the rates... and let's face it, they're out to make money... if they provide you with something useful in the process... "that's great"... ahem)

That said... I consider something "net" when it's "overbalanced but weighs equally"... a disc meter that spins the other way, qualifies in my book. Not this buy at one rate sell at another crap.

Might as well go back to a battery bank and give "profit" up to the intrinsic losses of local storage if that's how they roll it. At least you know physics isn't taking you for some kind of devious ride that way.

Sounds to me like trading a headache for nausea... Ridiculous.

I've been wrong before tho...

Carry on then...  ::) lol

</rant>

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