Solar panel advances will see millions go off grid, scientists predict (article)

[Solarcabin Channel]

What are you doing different that every other successful user of wind requires the tower coming down every year for maintenance?

If this is the Air Primus X, I read the manual and seems there is no lubrication, but blades are supposed to be inspected every six months, every five years and the circuit board replaced at 7 years.

I inspect the blades from the ground and it is still producing so the circuit board is working.

Air X sold or changed names to Primus and I have one of the older models originally designed for marine use. Can't speak to the Primus models.

 

[ksmithaz1]

How was nuclear stifled?

Nuclear has been heavily subsidized to the tune of trillions and is still sucking the government teat to chase fission that is no closer now than it was 50 years ago and isn't needed with renewable energy.

By blocking and tearing out nuclear plants. France was producing 90% of it's energy needs at one time with nuclear but the "We are all going to die from radiation/nuclear power" have driven the cost up exponentially, and torn down existing plants. Now they buy natural gas from Russia. Hence the 'subsidies'. It's self fullfilling. You make it as expensive as possible to build with regulations, and then you don't let anyone actually build anything, put some 'subsidies' in place to help get it built, then complain it's too expensive and needs subsidies because you don't allow any more to be built to absorb any of the costs of the designs, because you keep moving the bar on the designs.

If we had to build airplanes the way we have to build nuclear plants nobody would fly. The airline industry is also heavily regulated and 'subsidized'. Guess which industry has killed more people?

Fission is a research project, nothing more. We are 20 years away in perpetuity until there is a true breakthrough somewhere. OTOH there are nuclear powered submarines wandering all over the ocean. What we need is a cookie cutter design (Like what france used to do, I think they are going to ramp up again?) or two that we can modify/correct as any issues come up. When every design is custom from the ground up it's going to be several orders of magnitude more expensive. The 'Chicken Littles' along with the government power brokers and money grabbers have prevented and stifled Nuclear innovation. Stop watching MSNBC and "The China Syndrome". It's only interesting when something bad happens and they are selling sensationalism.

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

ance was producing 90% of it's energy needs at one time with nuclear

" France's nuclear contributions were interrupted in 2022 due to extended maintenance shutdowns and curtailments due to weather-related river conditions, which resulted in record-low nuclear availability in France."

"Why did France shut down nuclear plants?

The utility's nuclear output sank by 23% in 2022 as it halted about a dozen of its 56 reactors to replace cracked pipes. France went from being a major electricity exporter to its neighbors into a net importer for the first time since 1980. EDF's nuclear output hit a low point in August and gradually began to recover.Mar 10, 2023"

French Nuclear Revival Hits Trouble as New Reactor Defects Found

France’s troubled nuclear industry is supposed to be in revival, but the discovery of further defects at some reactors this week is stoking fears that the year ahead could be just as difficult as the last.

www.bloomberg.com

U.S. nuclear energy R&D budget allocated in 2020-2022

The total Research and Development (R&D) budget for nuclear energy allocated by the Department of Energy (DOE) of the United States was around 1.65 billion U.S. dollars in financial year 2022.

U.S. nuclear energy R&D budget FY 2021-2023 | Statista

The total Research and Development (R&D) budget for nuclear energy allocated by the Department of Energy (DOE) of the United States was around 1.77 billion U.S.

www.statista.com

Since the 1950s, the U.S. has spent an estimated $20 billion on fusion research

 

[Rednecktek]

Stop watching MSNBC and "The China Syndrome". It's only interesting when something bad happens and they are selling sensationalism.

But... But... The PANIC NEWS NETWORK closed down!! Where else am I supposed to get my news? Facebook? Twitter??

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

For a DIY solar forum the idea of people going off grid sure does get some people agitated?

The importance of off-grid solar projects and how they’re impacting communities around the globe​

"In many remote communities around the world, access to electricity has been limited or reliant on expensive and polluting diesel generators. But the uptake of off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems is growing, as countries aim to increase their electrification to spur economic development, while reducing their carbon emissions to meet environmental targets.

The number of people around the world without access to electricity fell by 36% from 1.2 billion in 2010 to 759 million in 2019, which the UN attributes to accelerated electrification through the deployment of off-grid and mini-grid solar systems as well as grid expansion.

The modular nature of solar panels makes them ideal for a variety of off-grid locations and conditions. The UN Development Program (UNDP) has identified off-grid solar PV as a key technology for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),"

The importance of off-grid solar projects and how they’re impacting communities around the globe — RatedPower

For many remote villages and communities around the globe, access to electricity has been non-existent or limited. But, off-grid solar is helping to boost the economic and development opportunities of these locations. Read on to find out how.

ratedpower.com

 

[Doggydogworld]

instead of giving away your excess for utility rates, with your high cost of gasoline, does it not make much better sense to charge up an EV with your excess solar power, even if this is only possible 6-months of the year? - just curious.

If you have a 2nd or 3rd car for local use and you can park it at your home or other property (e.g. farm, business) at least a few hours during the day then solar EV charging is a great financial move. You can find 100-150 mile used EVs without many miles below 10k. Some new models and even a few used ones like Nissan Leaf that support bi-directional charging to power your house. That gets a little involved, but with 62 kWh 2019 Leafs as low as 16-18k and older 40 kWh models for much less it's almost like buying a large battery and getting a car for free.

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

Do you have a wind turbine that has those issues?

I've seen them with others, especially here in the north where when you need them the most they tend to fail (ice buildup for example). When you have 6 months of winter, moving things tend to break a lot faster. That, plus the math, tells me they're not worth it in most conditions. If they work for you, you're very much an exception.

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

For a DIY solar forum the idea of people going off grid sure does get some people agitated?

I'm off-grid. I still would have other people think twice about it, and make sure they understand what's involved. Some healthy skepticism and criticism, coupled with some push-back isn't a bad thing.

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

I've seen them with others, especially here in the north where when you need them the most they tend to fail (ice buildup for example). When you have 6 months of winter, moving things tend to break a lot faster. That, plus the math, tells me they're not worth it in most conditions. If they work for you, you're very much an exception.

Like I said I always recommend solar before wind and in some cases a fuel generator is a better option.

I would never suggest wind as a primary source but in winter when the sun isn't shining the wind is usually blowing around here.

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

I'm off-grid. I still would have other people think twice about it, and make sure they understand what's involved. Some healthy skepticism and criticism, coupled with some push-back isn't a bad thing.

As long as it isn't just political as I have ran in to that more than a few times in forums.

I said in my other post that off grid is only hard because homes people are using are not designed for off grid. They are generally too big, poorly insulated, not oriented for solar and use inefficient appliances.

If you are going off grid you need a super efficient home and appliances or you will likely be disappointed or spend a lot of money.

 

[50ShadesOfDirt]

Washington State - off-grid still works here, but the focus is on those elements of the solar balloon that reliably provide energy during any kind of (foul weather, low solar irradiance) conditions:

- site-fuel (propane, 500-gal tank, fuel delivery service)
- generator (propane)
- inverter/battery-bank

With the above, you are off-grid, and you aren't running the gen 24 hours/day ... more like 4, and you can also utilize the gen to power massive loads (perhaps construction, perhaps 240v loads). You don't need to oversize inverter/battery-bank to run any possible load size.

Now, add in the appropriate solar elements for this area ... panels (bifacial, etc.), mppt, etc. Obviously, it will take more solar footprint than other areas, if that is the only consideration, and you'll get less power "for free", but, you were off-grid above, and still off-grid after paneling, it just takes more panels.

Everyone reaches a point where their own constraints & choices dictate what they will do. But, they can be off-grid ... this works in washington state, it would work in alaska, and so on.

In arizona, the paneling footprint can be big enough to really reduce or almost eliminate the gen side of the balloon, but it is all still off-grid.

Washington state does get sun-hours ... just not as many as arizona, so you push more on the gen side of the balloon (or any other method, such as wood resources). It's all off-grid, as in, you don't need a grid connection.

I was hoping for separate threads, but ...

 

[CoolWill]

Lol.. not even get me started on gas price..
Currently a litre costs 1,98 Euro

A gallon is 4.54609 litre..

So we pay about 10 USD PER GALLON

Only a commie gallon is 4.546 liters. A real gallon is 3.785 L.... OK, before you go find SeaGal and have a therapy session, I'm just being silly.

 

[ksmithaz1]

" France's nuclear contributions were interrupted in 2022 due to extended maintenance shutdowns and curtailments due to weather-related river conditions, which resulted in record-low nuclear availability in France."

"Why did France shut down nuclear plants?

The utility's nuclear output sank by 23% in 2022 as it halted about a dozen of its 56 reactors to replace cracked pipes. France went from being a major electricity exporter to its neighbors into a net importer for the first time since 1980. EDF's nuclear output hit a low point in August and gradually began to recover.Mar 10, 2023"

French Nuclear Revival Hits Trouble as New Reactor Defects Found

France’s troubled nuclear industry is supposed to be in revival, but the discovery of further defects at some reactors this week is stoking fears that the year ahead could be just as difficult as the last.

www.bloomberg.com

U.S. nuclear energy R&D budget allocated in 2020-2022

The total Research and Development (R&D) budget for nuclear energy allocated by the Department of Energy (DOE) of the United States was around 1.65 billion U.S. dollars in financial year 2022.

U.S. nuclear energy R&D budget FY 2021-2023 | Statista

The total Research and Development (R&D) budget for nuclear energy allocated by the Department of Energy (DOE) of the United States was around 1.77 billion U.S.

www.statista.com

Since the 1950s, the U.S. has spent an estimated $20 billion on fusion research

Quit talking about what is being spent on fusion research. It has nothing to do with making nuclear power today. We spend billions on lot's of different types of research. Elon/SpaceX is building rockets that actually work for a fraction of what NASA was spending. He's so far ahead of everyone else it's stunning. Of course no good deed goes un-punished, Starship was delayed by the FAA and now by 'environmental review', probably take another year while they bleed money with the rocket sitting on the pad. Interesting as Boeing and Blue and the reset of the gang is struggling to get something that might actually make it to space. Interesting as Elon is no longer the "Green Energy" poster child once he started allowing others to speak.

We can build fission plants today, and it shouldn't be costing billions. Nothing is perfect, build the damn plant.

Around 2015 post-Fukishima France decided it would cut it's nuclear power production in half. Pubilic opinion became anti-nuclear and they stopped routine maintenance (not like change the oil, like overhaul it because it's 30+ years old, think aircraft engine) because they were going to turn it off anyway. Again you create self-fulfilling prophesy. So they completely stopped building new plants, energy demand goes inexorably up. About 3-5 years in they shut down a few plants, and low and behold the electric rates started to skyrocket, as they had to buy demand from outside. At which point they (the French consumer) started to change their minds (actually scream loudly, I hinted to this earlier). Unfortunately they had stalled all the overhauls, because they were going to turn it all off, as it's foolish to spend money overhauling a plant your going to decommission, and they hadn't built anything new for an extended period due to all the hyped up fear of nuclear death by exploding power plants. So now we have to overhaul the plants we've ignored for the last 10 years and it's disruptive. Shocker! Makes good fodder for the Anti-Nuke press "See how expensive this is we have to shut down 1/2 our reactors to replace cracked pipes". No mention of the age of the plants or the fact that the maintenance was deferred for 10 years. Self-fulfilling.

Further, you make my earlier point. If we'd quit spending 1.6b/year on 'research' and start spending it on building and actual power plant. . .

Of course I keep forgetting that nobody has ever died mining coal, pumping oil, or in a refinery accident, from a de-railed rail car hauling volatiles, or falling off a windmill, or ... I keep forgetting how the environmental impact of the Exxon Valdez and BP disaster in the gulf is so much dramatically less than Fukishima, TMI, and Chernobyl. Yea, silly me.

 

[CoolWill]

Quit talking about what is being spent on fusion research. It has nothing to do with making nuclear power today. We spend billions on lot's of different types of research. Elon/SpaceX is building rockets that actually work for a fraction of what NASA was spending. He's so far ahead of everyone else it's stunning. Of course no good deed goes un-punished, Starship was delayed by the FAA and now by 'environmental review', probably take another year while they bleed money with the rocket sitting on the pad. Interesting as Boeing and Blue and the reset of the gang is struggling to get something that might actually make it to space. Interesting as Elon is no longer the "Green Energy" poster child once he started allowing others to speak.

We can build fusion plants today, and it shouldn't be costing billions. Nothing is perfect, build the damn plant.

Around 2015 post-Fukishima France decided it would cut it's nuclear power production in half. Pubilic opinion became anti-nuclear and they stopped routine maintenance (not like change the oil, like overhaul it because it's 30+ years old, think aircraft engine) because they were going to turn it off anyway. Again you create self-fulfilling prophesy. So they completely stopped building new plants, energy demand goes inexorably up. About 3-5 years in they shut down a few plants, and low and behold the electric rates started to skyrocket, as they had to buy demand from outside. At which point they (the French consumer) started to change their minds (actually scream loudly, I hinted to this earlier). Unfortunately they had stalled all the overhauls, because they were going to turn it all off, as it's foolish to spend money overhauling a plant your going to decommission, and they hadn't built anything new for an extended period due to all the hyped up fear of nuclear death by exploding power plants. So now we have to overhaul the plants we've ignored for the last 10 years and it's disruptive. Shocker! Makes good fodder for the Anti-Nuke press "See how expensive this is we have to shut down 1/2 our reactors to replace cracked pipes". No mention of the age of the plants or the fact that the maintenance was deferred for 10 years. Self-fulfilling.

Further, you make my earlier point. If we'd quit spending 1.6b/year on 'research' and start spending it on building and actual power plant. . .

Of course I keep forgetting that nobody has ever died mining coal, pumping oil, or in a refinery accident, from a de-railed rail car hauling volatiles, or falling off a windmill, or ... I keep forgetting how the environmental impact of the Exxon Valdez and BP disaster in the gulf is so much dramatically less than Fukishima, TMI, and Chernobyl. Yea, silly me.

Nuclear fusion has been a decade away for 70 years now.

 

[ksmithaz1]

Nuclear fusion has been a decade away for 70 years now.

Frak . . We can build fission plants today . . . Corrected

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

urther, you make my earlier point. If we'd quit spending 1.6b/year on 'research' and start spending it on building and actual power plant. . .

Why would we do that when uranium is a finite supply that will run out (estimates are 50 years) and nuclear power is more expensive to produce than wind and solar that is renewable energy?

"Current uranium reserves are expected to be depleted by the end of the century, and new sources of uranium are hard to find. As a result, uranium prices have been steadily rising, with some estimates predicting a doubling of prices by 2030."

That is just the economics of it and when you add in the massive amounts of toxic waste that stays toxic for thousands of years that your great great grandkids will have to deal with and the fact that nuclear plants are a target for terrorism and prone to natural and man made disasters there really isn't any logical reason to keep promoting nuclear IMO.

 

[Groscout]

The reality is that people want this: with the power consumption of this:
Good luck.

 

[ksmithaz1]

Why would we do that when uranium is a finite supply that will run out (estimates are 50 years) and nuclear power is more expensive to produce than wind and solar that is renewable energy?

"Current uranium reserves are expected to be depleted by the end of the century, and new sources of uranium are hard to find. As a result, uranium prices have been steadily rising, with some estimates predicting a doubling of prices by 2030."

That is just the economics of it and when you add in the massive amounts of toxic waste that stays toxic for thousands of years that your great great grandkids will have to deal with and the fact that nuclear plants are a target for terrorism and prone to natural and man made disasters there really isn't any logical reason to keep promoting nuclear IMO.

You must not be very old. We ran out of oil in the late 90's, the supply as you know is finite. We ran out of food in 2000 because of over-population, and are currently all dead because we froze to death from global cooling. But it's OK, because my children's children will all melt from global warming, and won't have any water to drink, and die from something Pfizer hasn't got a vaccine for.

We do seem to be set for a worldwide population decline should the birthrate numbers turn accurate. This could be interesting as the population ages and there are fewer and fewer young people producing things to pay for all the old people.

Define "massive amounts" of toxic waste please. How does it compare to other waste or the environmental impact of the waste created by other types of energy production? Or better yet the toxic waste created by general consumption, dead batteries, and electronics? What are the recycling options? Maybe if we'd let Musk launch his rocket, we could just dump the really nasty stuff at the sun?

Ain't propaganda great! You just assume all your systems are static, and only show the side that presents well to the argument. Everything involves trade-offs, and the planet will still have people on it hundreds of years after we are all dead.

 

[OffGridForGood]

Only a commie gallon is 4.546 liters. A real gallon is 3.785 L.... OK, before you go find SeaGal and have a therapy session, I'm just being silly.

Actually both "Gallons" are British.
The Queen Anne Gallon is 3.78 litres and is what we now refer to as the US gallon.
The Imperial Gallon is 4.54 litres and is now obsolete.
I read one time 1700's British merchants liked to buy in Imperial Gallons, but sell in Queen Anne gallons, leading to it being used in the US. No idea if this is true or not.
When I was a young man about 100 years ago, paint, gas, other liquids in Canada were sold in 'imperial gallons', and what our US friends called a "55 gallon drum" we called a "45 gallon drum" - now we call it a 200L drum but all good, most of us are "bi-lingual" in Canada.

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

I said in my other post that off grid is only hard because homes people are using are not designed for off grid. They are generally too big, poorly insulated, not oriented for solar and use inefficient appliances.

Don't underestimate climate. I'm one of the very few who is off-grid here at 63 degrees north. There is no sun this time of year, traditional fuel is expensive, heating with wood is the only option. If you want any semblance of a normal lifestyle, you need to make quite a few investments that you don't need to do in a grid connected house (like an efficient wood burner with buffer tank, a masonry fireplace, etc.) and you need to be able to provide the firewood of course. That's alongside the well insulated house (which is a must here no matter on grid or not) and appliances.

Going off grid can indeed be very hard, which is why I usually push back at those attempting it. Not to discourage them, but to make sure that they know what they're in for, and that it truly is what they are looking for (many times it is not, and they're running from other things or don't have their things in order).