RV Fuel Issues & Prices - Post 'Em Here!

LindsayRichards wrote:
Do you have any idea how large of a solar array it would take to run a home that requires central AC. Not enough room on the roof and the payback is infinite. You are in a different system as other are paying the load. Standing on it's own, photovoltaic doesn't generate enough power to pay the interest on the capital necessary to purchase the equipment.

I would be in favor of new homes or major home remodels be required to have 1 watt of solar per square foot.

Will not completely power the home but over time it would cut off the peak power curve that the utilities must accommodate with large power plants that only max out for a few hours.

Does it make sense to build a full on power plant that is only needed six hours a day? Because collectively we already have these.

The prior post made me wonder about kW rates around the country. I was surprised last April when our AZ RV park charged us 12 cents, about the same as we pay our local non power generating coop here in Colorado. I was told the park passed on the local utility's rate without a markup.

Seems postings on this would fall in with the subject matter here and maybe give a bit of relief from the squabble.

Do you have any idea how large of a solar array it would take to run a home that requires central AC. Not enough room on the roof and the payback is infinite. You are in a different system as other are paying the load. Standing on it's own, photovoltaic doesn't generate enough power to pay the interest on the capital necessary to purchase the equipment.

LindsayRichards wrote:

I would love to get all my energy from renewable in my lifetime, but it won’t happen in mine or my children’s.

Why bother even trying then? Personally, it doesn't seem all that unreasonable that I could supply a majority of my energy needs (including my car) with a large rooftop solar array. Expensive, yes. But possible.

For now I'm settling for a smaller system that is just large enough to keep me in the lower baseline PG&E rates. Means I'll be able to charge my car at .08 $/kW instead of my current .24 $/kW (the .08 number is subject to change based on the whim of PG&E and how they feel like implementing their time of use structure). Fully upgradeable though, just more $ for more panels and inverters.

How about leaving all the politics, attempted indoctrination, and propaganda out of the posts. It would sure save wear and tear on my delete and edit keys. :W

More promising is the realization of an article I read about 1980 commuters reading the morning paper on their drive to work in their smart car hooked up to a smart highway. My 3rd grade Weekly Reader, circa 1951. Or was it in Popular Science in the barber shop that year?

Sidebar. Don't smoke, don't drink, don't beat the DW. Why can't I break with this thread? :o

Both Japan and Germany are moving rapidly from nuclear to wind, solar and Geothermal.

Germany is given up on solar and building 21 new coal fired power plants. It is a failure. It is extremely expensive and undependable as well as wind. The oil companies get no subsidies, but they do get tax breaks (section 199) like other corporations, but at a lower level. The alternatives get about 70 times the actual subsidies per megawatt produced than these.

I would love to get all my energy from renewable in my lifetime, but it won’t happen in mine or my children’s.

Talked to DTE our electric company today. They have "doubled" the amount of green renewables in the last year. Was told to hang on then next 5 years are going to explode in wind and other renewable energy. I asked about the new meter for lower rates they said their benefit comes from understanding the EV usage and that the info would direct the improvements to the grid. They also said they are moving away from coal as rapidly as possible.

Chevron paid federal taxes in the amount of:

2011 1,893,000,000
2010 1,501,000,000
2009 128,000,000
2008 2,879,000,000
2007 1,446,000,000

http://www.stock-analysis-on.net/NYSE/Company/Chevron-Corp/Analysis/Income-Taxes