I briefly sub-contracted for a bayarea startup (which was funded by an EU subsidiary), where we covertly installed several "test demonstrations" throughout the bay area (just a few dozen, each ~500W) – this was not legal when performed ~2010-2011~, done "for research," but was installed by licensed electricians (just not permitted, as PG&E did not allow this).
Surprisingly, several are still known-to-be operating; aerial mapping confirms that many more are at least still physically-present. This US subsidiary "folded" shortly after the installations went online.
----
The coolest installation was using PG&E's "time-of-day" utility rates, along with the homeowner's medical exemption (which allows you more kWHs before being charged higher rates), to lower a small medical marijuana grow from $2k/month to ~$500/month (LEDs growlamps barely existed, back then):
•) During the daytime, the growrooms would be "OFF" [PGE charging 45¢/kWH], and the microsolar would literally offset all the auxilary needs of the grow&house
•) During winter nights, PG&E would literally pay you to burn excess grid capacity [@-3¢/kWH], so all grow rooms would be running @MAX. All year, nights were 5X+ cheaper to consume electricity
----
Since California is so-well-connected to its neighboring utilities, its primary daytime-electric generator (grid solar) can instantaneously sell to the PNW grid [and does]; this allows them to similarly-reduce their own fuel expenditures (albeit at the much-larger scale of national grids).
tl;dr: feel bad for the dumb US state which chooses to intentionally self-isolate (i.e. Texas' ERCOT), and thus cannot persevere through predictable 10-year winterstorms [modern news: Texas' current attempt to privatize Austin Energy™, a public coop that provides flat-rate power, inexpensively, protecting Central Texans from surprise winter heating bills]
I just realized the biggest benefit is plug-in battery. A plug-in battery enables anyone to shift demand, taking advantage of cheap/free energy.
You can use a slightly intelligent app to decide whether to consume it yourself later, or sell it back to the grid. Australia has 3 hour free electricity, thats probably enough for some uses.
Plug-in solar may or may not be possible, but anyone can use a plug-in battery. If there are structures to support balcony solar or off grid panels in your backyard, then you can produce for free and charge your batteries.
Plug in batteries where the battery itself is cheap af (like Australia) and the ability to charge it for free from the grid exists (like Australia) are a no brainer. When batteries are expensive and grid electricity is not free (the entire US) then it doesn’t really pencil out and requires the plug in solar but that has to be cheap too. Think used panels off Facebook marketplace type cheap. Like I don’t care about offsetting a portion of my energy for free with a 7-10 year payback. Plug in systems should pay for themselves in less than 2 years IMO.
Aussie here - exported 650+ kW to the grid last month from our solar, and consumed the remainder that was generated. Overnight covered entirely by battery.
Plug-Ins allow renters to participate in the energy ecosystem. Also, people who live in apartments, not independent homes. This is probably more than two-thirds of the people on the planet.
Plug-ins increase energy literary. People will learn to love their energy (IKEA effect).
Germans and other European countries buying them will create demand, and products will become cheaper and incredibly reliable.
There are zero labor costs, no need of electricians or permits. Instant energy/energystorage on tap.
Billions of poor people will just buy plug-in products or panels (like Pakistan), and the creative explosion of ideas of a billion people will create many interesting products for a range of uses.
Philippines is seeing an incredible explosion in solar power, but none of this kind of thing. Instead it's driven by a gray market - equipment is imported, mostly without paying proper duties and taxes, installers are unlicensed, installs are not reported and don't apply for net metering, so the incentive is to maximize your battery capacity as a result.
The lack of state capacity here to enforce rules has allowed solar to flourish.
My guess Phillipines has much less seasonal variability for solar, which makes it feasible to live almost off grid?
Balcony solar is mostly a token. Maybe only enough to run your electronics. I'm sure Germans are frivolous with their power use (subsidized by their gas, petrol and heating oil use) so percentage wise it's not super trivial.
I have four panels that are plugged into a 5.12kWh battery. Battery is controlled by a small 3-phase meter and automatically feeds power in when usage is there.
From May to early September the battery and panels were enough to cover almost all power usage in my household.
That's insanely little power use. Small flat and single person I guess?
I have 24 imperfectly placed panels and live around Auckland, New Zealand, modest house, 5kWH battery too.
They theoretically provide well over my needs in summer, but due to how pricing works it - I still pay a bit even in peak of the summer. Everything is electric in my house with toys like EV and heated pool.
Heating consumes a lot, because of this at least in some of Europe we still use natural gas over electricity. This allows your only energy spending to basically become a television and a fridge, sometimes your washing machine and dishwasher.
There is a good amount of variability in weather, there is a rainy season, but solar irradiance is mostly the same and strong here overall. So a big array and a big battery can see you through everything but the worst string of rainy days, and for that you can get a diesel generator if you really need it, or just stay on grid.
Pakistan has gone far far beyond this level of indivual solar instals for personal use, somewhere over 3 gigawatts, and in the absence of any regualatory anything, but still somehow helping to stabilise the grid, it's now irevocably entrenched and expanding
very quickly.
Hopefully the next phase will see a major switch to EV's and something can begin to change in what is some of the worst airpolution on the planet, as emmisions are regualated the same as PV and batteries, ie:with very occasional performative hand wringing.
Balcony panels are awaiting governor's signature in California: https://www.kqed.org/science/2001842/california-lawmakers-gr...
(it looks like NY & NJ are in the same boat)
I briefly sub-contracted for a bayarea startup (which was funded by an EU subsidiary), where we covertly installed several "test demonstrations" throughout the bay area (just a few dozen, each ~500W) – this was not legal when performed ~2010-2011~, done "for research," but was installed by licensed electricians (just not permitted, as PG&E did not allow this).
Surprisingly, several are still known-to-be operating; aerial mapping confirms that many more are at least still physically-present. This US subsidiary "folded" shortly after the installations went online.
----
The coolest installation was using PG&E's "time-of-day" utility rates, along with the homeowner's medical exemption (which allows you more kWHs before being charged higher rates), to lower a small medical marijuana grow from $2k/month to ~$500/month (LEDs growlamps barely existed, back then):
•) During the daytime, the growrooms would be "OFF" [PGE charging 45¢/kWH], and the microsolar would literally offset all the auxilary needs of the grow&house
•) During winter nights, PG&E would literally pay you to burn excess grid capacity [@-3¢/kWH], so all grow rooms would be running @MAX. All year, nights were 5X+ cheaper to consume electricity
----
Since California is so-well-connected to its neighboring utilities, its primary daytime-electric generator (grid solar) can instantaneously sell to the PNW grid [and does]; this allows them to similarly-reduce their own fuel expenditures (albeit at the much-larger scale of national grids).
<https://www.eia.gov/electricity/gridmonitor/dashboard/electr...>
tl;dr: feel bad for the dumb US state which chooses to intentionally self-isolate (i.e. Texas' ERCOT), and thus cannot persevere through predictable 10-year winterstorms [modern news: Texas' current attempt to privatize Austin Energy™, a public coop that provides flat-rate power, inexpensively, protecting Central Texans from surprise winter heating bills]
People similarly started fence mounting solar panels
legal in both Utah and Colorado - which have ample sunshine!
I just realized the biggest benefit is plug-in battery. A plug-in battery enables anyone to shift demand, taking advantage of cheap/free energy.
You can use a slightly intelligent app to decide whether to consume it yourself later, or sell it back to the grid. Australia has 3 hour free electricity, thats probably enough for some uses.
Plug-in solar may or may not be possible, but anyone can use a plug-in battery. If there are structures to support balcony solar or off grid panels in your backyard, then you can produce for free and charge your batteries.
The Hottest New Trade Is Your Own Electricity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK76jIsmiSw
Australia's free electricity: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3NTlKEd5IIY
Plug in batteries where the battery itself is cheap af (like Australia) and the ability to charge it for free from the grid exists (like Australia) are a no brainer. When batteries are expensive and grid electricity is not free (the entire US) then it doesn’t really pencil out and requires the plug in solar but that has to be cheap too. Think used panels off Facebook marketplace type cheap. Like I don’t care about offsetting a portion of my energy for free with a 7-10 year payback. Plug in systems should pay for themselves in less than 2 years IMO.
Aussie here - exported 650+ kW to the grid last month from our solar, and consumed the remainder that was generated. Overnight covered entirely by battery.
Plug-Ins allow renters to participate in the energy ecosystem. Also, people who live in apartments, not independent homes. This is probably more than two-thirds of the people on the planet.
Plug-ins increase energy literary. People will learn to love their energy (IKEA effect).
Germans and other European countries buying them will create demand, and products will become cheaper and incredibly reliable.
There are zero labor costs, no need of electricians or permits. Instant energy/energystorage on tap.
Billions of poor people will just buy plug-in products or panels (like Pakistan), and the creative explosion of ideas of a billion people will create many interesting products for a range of uses.
Small correction: They are actually incredible reliable by today!:-)
Philippines is seeing an incredible explosion in solar power, but none of this kind of thing. Instead it's driven by a gray market - equipment is imported, mostly without paying proper duties and taxes, installers are unlicensed, installs are not reported and don't apply for net metering, so the incentive is to maximize your battery capacity as a result.
The lack of state capacity here to enforce rules has allowed solar to flourish.
My guess Phillipines has much less seasonal variability for solar, which makes it feasible to live almost off grid?
Balcony solar is mostly a token. Maybe only enough to run your electronics. I'm sure Germans are frivolous with their power use (subsidized by their gas, petrol and heating oil use) so percentage wise it's not super trivial.
German here.
I have four panels that are plugged into a 5.12kWh battery. Battery is controlled by a small 3-phase meter and automatically feeds power in when usage is there.
From May to early September the battery and panels were enough to cover almost all power usage in my household.
That's insanely little power use. Small flat and single person I guess?
I have 24 imperfectly placed panels and live around Auckland, New Zealand, modest house, 5kWH battery too.
They theoretically provide well over my needs in summer, but due to how pricing works it - I still pay a bit even in peak of the summer. Everything is electric in my house with toys like EV and heated pool.
> toys like EV and heated pool.
Well, thats the explanation: A German household usually does not have a pool :-D
300kwh per month, not exactly enormous consumer. EV uses more.
Heating consumes a lot, because of this at least in some of Europe we still use natural gas over electricity. This allows your only energy spending to basically become a television and a fridge, sometimes your washing machine and dishwasher.
There is a good amount of variability in weather, there is a rainy season, but solar irradiance is mostly the same and strong here overall. So a big array and a big battery can see you through everything but the worst string of rainy days, and for that you can get a diesel generator if you really need it, or just stay on grid.
Plug in solar is nice because you don't have to hire an electrician, just plug into an outlet.
"Balkonkraftwerk"
Hell yes I'm down for this.
Solar is good, but come on Germany, would have been nice to still have some of these nuclear powers plants eh.
This horse is deader than disco - which funnily has had a revival this decade. Time to stop beating it.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46292341 - Triceratops' law remains the most accurate original observation I've made in my life (sad, I know).
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49163327
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47966629
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47328430
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47324023
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49216191
Pakistan has gone far far beyond this level of indivual solar instals for personal use, somewhere over 3 gigawatts, and in the absence of any regualatory anything, but still somehow helping to stabilise the grid, it's now irevocably entrenched and expanding very quickly. Hopefully the next phase will see a major switch to EV's and something can begin to change in what is some of the worst airpolution on the planet, as emmisions are regualated the same as PV and batteries, ie:with very occasional performative hand wringing.
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