solar power
Oct 12th 2011 | 7:25 pm
#16
Banned
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 9,910
From: The REAL Utopia.
Re: solar power
Solar is a huge rip off, to install a system big enough to produce enough power to get anything back with the feed in tariff you would be paying so much for the system you wouldn't make a profit for many years.
Oct 12th 2011 | 7:32 pm
#17
I'm Old Gregg!
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 8,460
From: A Former Bogan Colony in QLD
Re: solar power
Yes I was told that the electric company has always paid 7 cents,and the goverment use to pay 40cent then dropped it to 20cents ,now they pay NOTHING ,so all you get is 7cents,and Gillard wants to go green ,I dont get it ,she makes me see RED dont know about green !!
Sue
Sue
Oct 12th 2011 | 7:39 pm
#19
I'm Old Gregg!
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 8,460
From: A Former Bogan Colony in QLD
Re: solar power
that's because you are clearly looking at it for the wrong reasons. The fact that you talk about "profit" shows your intentions, rather than using greener means of energy production or even just saving on bills. The payback period may have increased with the reduction/removal of feed-in tariffs but what gets taken away there simply gets made up for from the increase in energy costs.
Oct 12th 2011 | 7:44 pm
#20
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,584
Re: solar power
WA, VIC & NSW should never have given those overly generous feed-in tariffs in the first place. They should have gone ahead and built more efficient power stations.
Oct 12th 2011 | 7:47 pm
#21
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 838
From: Perth
Re: solar power
Hi thanks everyone,im slowly understanding it ,so im thinking why have a big system if you cant use it all yourself during the day ,why should they have the pleasure in giving you 7cent when they want 22cent to buy it from them ,which is what i will need to do in the evenings anyway regardless how many panels i have. SO ive decided to work out how much i use in the day ,like the pool etc ,and maybe buy just enough to cover the daytime useage.I cant see the sence in buying lots of panels just to sell it to them for 7cents it doesnt make any sence.
So why was i asked by a salesman if i wanted to cover ALL my bill ,i said yes and he told me i would need 16-20 panels,but from how i see it even if i have 40 panels ,i would still need to buy electric in the evenings anyway !
Maybe it worked ok for people when they were offering 47cent a unit,but its just not worth it now.
PLease correct me if im wrong but this is how i understand it
Sue
So why was i asked by a salesman if i wanted to cover ALL my bill ,i said yes and he told me i would need 16-20 panels,but from how i see it even if i have 40 panels ,i would still need to buy electric in the evenings anyway !
Maybe it worked ok for people when they were offering 47cent a unit,but its just not worth it now.
PLease correct me if im wrong but this is how i understand it
Sue
Oct 12th 2011 | 7:56 pm
#22
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 838
From: Perth
Re: solar power
With the bastardization of the whole gas and coal generating industry by the fairies at the bottom of the garden - it could have been suicidal to invest in base load power generation.
Oct 12th 2011 | 8:08 pm
#23
I'm Old Gregg!
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 8,460
From: A Former Bogan Colony in QLD
Re: solar power
NSW's was the only one that was over-the-top generous. All the others had sustainable business plans, it just so happens that anti-green initiative Liberal state governments came into power in all of those and that is the reason why the initiatives were cut
Oct 12th 2011 | 8:11 pm
#24
Not allowed opinions.
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,565
From: Sydney
Re: solar power
Im living 25Km south of the equator right now. If solar worked anywhere, it would work here right?
It doesn't work.
We use diesel.....
Australia subsidises it.....
Welcome to reality.....
Slap
It doesn't work.
We use diesel.....
Australia subsidises it.....
Welcome to reality.....
Slap
Oct 12th 2011 | 8:16 pm
#25
Proudly Deplorable
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 24,249
From: Alloha snack bar
Re: solar power
All the wind turbines that are springing up all over Australia are backed up by diesel generators. The generators are operating a lot - fact.
Oct 12th 2011 | 8:18 pm
#26
I'm Old Gregg!
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 8,460
From: A Former Bogan Colony in QLD
Re: solar power
The massive worldwide uptake of residential solar has meant that the cost of production of this technology has dropped dramatically in the last 3 years, meaning that affodability of rolling this type of technology in areas like the ones you are in is becoming more and more achievable. At this present point in time diesel is a cheaper option, however with the costs of solar production coming down dramatically every year the point of parity between solar and fossil fuels is not far away. If we stopped adopting solar today that point where renewable energy is cheaper or the same as fossil fuel energy will never come.
Oct 12th 2011 | 8:21 pm
#27
Proudly Deplorable
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 24,249
From: Alloha snack bar
Re: solar power
It would work there, however the cost to set something up in those types of places is simply too expensive as grid reliability is so poor. Therefore you really need to be grid independent for it to be worthwhile. Grid independency means expensive storage systems.
The massive worldwide uptake of residential solar has meant that the cost of production of this technology has dropped dramatically in the last 3 years, meaning that affodability of rolling this type of technology in areas like the ones you are in is becoming more and more achievable. At this present point in time diesel is a cheaper option, however with the costs of solar production coming down dramatically every year the point of parity between solar and fossil fuels is not far away. If we stopped adopting solar today that point where renewable energy is cheaper or the same as fossil fuel energy will never come.
The massive worldwide uptake of residential solar has meant that the cost of production of this technology has dropped dramatically in the last 3 years, meaning that affodability of rolling this type of technology in areas like the ones you are in is becoming more and more achievable. At this present point in time diesel is a cheaper option, however with the costs of solar production coming down dramatically every year the point of parity between solar and fossil fuels is not far away. If we stopped adopting solar today that point where renewable energy is cheaper or the same as fossil fuel energy will never come.
Oct 12th 2011 | 8:29 pm
#28
I'm Old Gregg!
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 8,460
From: A Former Bogan Colony in QLD
Oct 12th 2011 | 8:34 pm
#29
Not allowed opinions.
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,565
From: Sydney
Re: solar power
It would work there, however the cost to set something up in those types of places is simply too expensive as grid reliability is so poor. Therefore you really need to be grid independent for it to be worthwhile. Grid independency means expensive storage systems.
The massive worldwide uptake of residential solar has meant that the cost of production of this technology has dropped dramatically in the last 3 years, meaning that affodability of rolling this type of technology in areas like the ones you are in is becoming more and more achievable. At this present point in time diesel is a cheaper option, however with the costs of solar production coming down dramatically every year the point of parity between solar and fossil fuels is not far away. If we stopped adopting solar today that point where renewable energy is cheaper or the same as fossil fuel energy will never come.
The massive worldwide uptake of residential solar has meant that the cost of production of this technology has dropped dramatically in the last 3 years, meaning that affodability of rolling this type of technology in areas like the ones you are in is becoming more and more achievable. At this present point in time diesel is a cheaper option, however with the costs of solar production coming down dramatically every year the point of parity between solar and fossil fuels is not far away. If we stopped adopting solar today that point where renewable energy is cheaper or the same as fossil fuel energy will never come.
We have solar street lights. They are barely visible. Just about useless, and everyone agrees.
We have eight 16 cylinder diesel engines, four of which work 24x7. They are Rustons, remnants of a British engineering empire. Each produces 4.5MW. Even then these things struggle to keep up with demand. They are trying to get the other four working. They need the power.
Tell me how to generate 18MW using solar..... Even here, it just doesn't work.
Oct 12th 2011 | 8:38 pm
#30
Not allowed opinions.
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,565
From: Sydney
Re: solar power
Im on Nauru, and tidal turbines are useless in Kiribati. Its a coral atol with coral cullet and sand reefs that move around with every storm.
Even the proposed USD50M deep water port is going to require USD10M of dredging EACH YEAR to keep it open.
