California power grid braces for heat wave, blackout potential

[TwoNineMarine]

I'm still evaluating my current energy bills since I just bought the house. So far it seems that the solar shades and insulating windows are helping. It's a 3400 SQFT house and im looking at a 200$ electric bill for june, which in AZ isn't bad considering I keep my thermostat at 78 during the day and 74 at night. I'll figure out what will be cost effective once I have a good baseline for the house with our lifestyle.

as far as the Nuclear goes, I would like us to be on the forefront of the technology. This is America and we are certainly capable and really, in my eyes, we should be leading the world when it comes to technology.

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29 palms...yuck. sorry Bro.

I wonder which is worse, Yuma or 29 palms

Oh we did a couple of shoots in Yuma for the newbie pilots. That was about equally shitty haha

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Hahaha, the greatest country on Earth and you lose power? Put more money into guns and armies. Maybe that will help distract public from basic issues. Haha, it is always refreshing to be reminded of the stupidity of Americans.

Yay nation bashing!

[Molis]

But it sure is nice on January 1st when its 70 degrees.

[Lucetia]

But this story as a whole is why we need a Smart Grid in the US. With more people switching to Solar, and other renewable energy that is generated on the property, etc, having a smart grid can help situations like this.

I'd love to go full solar, but it's really expensive even with the grants and payment plans. Had a few friends who did it and say how much it's costing them. Granted they have no electric bill, but still it's just all the costs with it. Not to mention a lot of houses in our neighborhood has like a layered shingle type system on the roof and companies hate doing work on them and will tell you it's not viable to put them on it.

I've contemplated though making a small solar system just to run a few things to slowly ween things off over time, but meh.

[TwoNineMarine]

I'd love to go full solar, but it's really expensive even with the grants and payment plans. Had a few friends who did it and say how much it's costing them. Granted they have no electric bill, but still it's just all the costs with it. Not to mention a lot of houses in our neighborhood has like a layered shingle type system on the roof and companies hate doing work on them and will tell you it's not viable to put them on it.

I've contemplated though making a small solar system just to run a few things to slowly ween things off over time, but meh.

That plus they are a real danger if your house ever catches fire. It makes life much more difficult for firefighters. I dread the day I respond to a house fire with those and we have to vent the roof.

I'm considering putting some in in the backyard somewhere that way they are out of the way.

[Rasulis]

Huh... I am getting -$25 bills from SDG&E (getting credited), and about $150 from SolarCity (I opted for the 5 years lease then buy). My bill used to be $300 to $400 with the AC running.

But I also have a lot of electronics. I am getting about 8,218 kWh generated a year.

They don't charge you distribution fee? I deal directly with SDG&E and I get a bill once a year for around $180ish. Which is basically the fee for using their grid. The solar panels added about 20k to my construction cost, which roughly translates to extra $200 per month at 3.6% interest rate.

[Lucetia]

That plus they are a real danger if your house ever catches fire. It makes life much more difficult for firefighters. I dread the day I respond to a house fire with those and we have to vent the roof.

I'm considering putting some in in the backyard somewhere that way they are out of the way.

I take it you are referring to the solar panels and not the roof I was mentioning? If so, yeah I can definitely agree. I've seen they've been working on systems where you can have basically a pole with panels surrounding it, but it is not efficient yet. Plus our backyard is shaded in a lot of areas.

If we can get solar to a more efficient way of using energy and in a safer way it would be nice to transition to that as well as other systems. In my opinion it's better to have multiple sources rather than rely strictly on one. Plus it's not like if the entire world went solar we'd be draining the sun.

[Damajin]

I'd love to go full solar, but it's really expensive even with the grants and payment plans. Had a few friends who did it and say how much it's costing them. Granted they have no electric bill, but still it's just all the costs with it. Not to mention a lot of houses in our neighborhood has like a layered shingle type system on the roof and companies hate doing work on them and will tell you it's not viable to put them on it.

I've contemplated though making a small solar system just to run a few things to slowly ween things off over time, but meh.

Many people are now building them upon raised beds of earth or even just basic flush to the ground and running lines to the house rather than build them on the roof, ease of maintenance for both the system and the roof being primary concerns. For me personally who plans on building a 3/4th bermed Monolithic Dome it'll be the only way I can actually run solar as even if I wasn't going to berm the structure they're not making solar panels Dome friendly yet at all and not likely will for some time so separate station is the only way for me but ultimately best way overall regardless of home type.

Have to give up some part of your yard, which may not be possible for those in cramped urban areas where houses have no yards. Definitely lots of factors to juggle to make work effectively, but it is certainly getting to be ultra effective if a bit front loaded for the homeowner.

[TwoNineMarine]

I take it you are referring to the solar panels and not the roof I was mentioning? If so, yeah I can definitely agree. I've seen they've been working on systems where you can have basically a pole with panels surrounding it, but it is not efficient yet. Plus our backyard is shaded in a lot of areas.

If we can get solar to a more efficient way of using energy and in a safer way it would be nice to transition to that as well as other systems. In my opinion it's better to have multiple sources rather than rely strictly on one. Plus it's not like if the entire world went solar we'd be draining the sun.

Yeah the panels haha.

And I've seen the poles with the panels on em. I like that a lot more but I do agree the technology doesn't quite seem refined enough. If they can make that happen I'd be all for it.

Yeah I'd love to rock solar and wind at my new house but neither tech is cheap or efficient enough to warrant it for me. I'll use grid electricity with generators as back up until then.

[Rasulis]

Anywhere from $300 to $400. And this is with low-e windows, and a new energy saving AC unit and LED lights everywhere.

But I also have 3 computers running, a pretty large TV/Sound System, etc... so it all adds up.

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Nice. I never even checked Solar City. I took SDG&E free class on how to install solar panel at their Energy Innovation Center (Clairemont Mesa). Since I was doing the design/structural calculation/permitting for the house myself, I figured I might as well do that also.


I have not gotten the bill for the $180 yet... I have had it for one year+. They did say they would charge for being connected to the grid, but it was like $5 (a month), if I remember correctly, for having the connection. (When you use nothing, and send power back into the grid).

I did not pay anything out of pocket for the installation, etc...

Nice. I never even checked Solar City. I took SDG&E free class on how to install solar panel at their Energy Innovation Center (Clairemont Mesa). Since I was doing the design/structural calculation/permitting for the house myself, I figured I might as well do that also.

[RaoBurning]

It would be great if we had some sort of thermal based power generation option to go along with solar here in the Southwest. I mean, all we really have is heat and sun, so may as well turn them both into something useful.

You're a braver man than me, Tony. Almost no way in hell I'd be on my bike in this weather.

[meian]

Yay nation bashing!

Eh, we kind of deserve it with this fucking clown fiesta we call a federal government.

[Rasulis]

Well the idea is that by having home solar, its adding value to your home. Should you sell it, that money that you were paying for your solar panels should more or less be recouped during the sale. If you did have them, you wouldnt be getting back any of the money you had been paying SDG&E.

The way the housing market is in S.D., I don’t think I will ever sell the house. Here is an interesting reading on S.D. housing market.

https://interactivepdf.uniflip.com/2/32710/313960/pub/

[Theinquisition]

Well the idea is that by having home solar, its adding value to your home. Should you sell it, that money that you were paying for your solar panels should more or less be recouped during the sale. If you did have them, you wouldnt be getting back any of the money you had been paying SDG&E.

the problem is that not everyone wants to pay for the maintenance of the systems.

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Hahaha, the greatest country on Earth and you lose power? Put more money into guns and armies. Maybe that will help distract public from basic issues. Haha, it is always refreshing to be reminded of the stupidity of Americans.

Please tell us what enlightened European nation you are from.

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It would be great if we had some sort of thermal based power generation option to go along with solar here in the Southwest. I mean, all we really have is heat and sun, so may as well turn them both into something useful.

You're a braver man than me, Tony. Almost no way in hell I'd be on my bike in this weather.

Dude its brutal. I drive about 50 miles on the 202 everyday for work. By the time I get home I am exhausted. I am buying a new Car (2016 Honda pilot) this week so that should help me for the rest of the summer.

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Eh, we kind of deserve it with this fucking clown fiesta we call a federal government.

depends on who its from.

[zeropeorth]

I'm all for upgrading the grid, but who is going to pay for it?

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ITS REALLY HOT!!

I can see where it could come from:

[Theinquisition]

I can see where it could come from:
snip

well you could completely annihilate the military budget for 2 years and still not pay for the grid upgrade. It would also cause huge problems, but hey, we can all jump on the trendy "hate the military" train...choooo choooo

[SinR]

power usage goes up, transformers blow and leak oil cause they're too hot, we get called for ERs to clean em up. Thank god I have scheduled work all week signing manifests in an air conditioned office 4 hours, then two hours back to office. screw digging in ~100 degree heat

[nonameelf]

That's what you get for living in a fucking desert.

[Theinquisition]

That's what you get for living in a fucking desert.

whats wrong with living in a Desert. We are more than capable of doing so, especially with technology. the problem that CA has is with Environmentalists who refuse to allow new Nuclear power plants to be built and would rather see people die from over heating

[Hooked]

Its not even hot yet, wait till august.

[Chromeshellking]

I'm all for upgrading the grid, but who is going to pay for it?

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ITS REALLY HOT!!

Well we could redirect all the subsidies that Petrol companies have been getting. They really don't need them, but I don't see that happening unless hell freezes over.