Subj : Re: This is the result of keeping 60% of the lights OFF and the furnanc
To   : August Abolins
From : Wilfred van Velzen
Date : Fri Feb 26 2021 22:30:22

Hi August,

On 2021-02-26 10:44:14, you wrote to me:

 >>  AA> How do you power your refrigerator?

 >> By having it plugged into a wall outlet! ;-)

 AA> Ahh..  a smart alec!  :D

 AA> I thought that solar = +batteries.  Apparently not.

Nope. Not yet atleast.

 AA> Now that I recall,  the early financing programmes for solar
 AA> installations at people's homes (either via roof, or via standalone
 AA> units) was a direct-to-grid type of thing - no batteries required.

That's how it works here.

But when you don't get any money any more (or very little) for putting your generated electricity into the net, batteries will become interesting to store your own energy, and using it when there is no sun. And hopefully battery technology will become better and cheaper in the future.

 >> That is indeed a very expensive solution. Some of our greenhouse
 >> customers in the Netherlands have such an installation. I don't know
 >> prices, but that would probably run into the millions for such
 >> industrial scale installations. But they have done the math, and
 >> wouldn't have invested into this, if it wasn't viable...

 AA> I think some people finance such things to the hilt to minimize monthy
 AA> payments as much as possible - while reaping the benefits of such
 AA> installations. Then when the asset sells, the value is built-in and they
 AA> recoup everything.

Most greenhouse owners already generate their own electricity for the lighting in the greenhouses. And they also use the heat that comes from those big gas generators to warm up the greenhouses. It's a very efficient way to use energy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogeneration


Bye, Wilfred.

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