Solar Power in Texas : Boom soon ? (home, prices, storage)

[shoe01]

Here you go:

CPS Energy Breaks Ground On Solar Farm - San Antonio News Story - KSAT San Antonio (http://www.ksat.com/news/23163692/detail.html - broken link)

San Antonio's utility will create enough juice to power 1800 homes.

[Wonderful Jellal]

Originally Posted by shoe01

Here you go:

CPS Energy Breaks Ground On Solar Farm - San Antonio News Story - KSAT San Antonio (http://www.ksat.com/news/23163692/detail.html - broken link)

San Antonio's utility will create enough juice to power 1800 homes.

It's small but it's a good step
Austin is very active about solar power too I think

[Wonderful Jellal]

Texas Aims for Solar Dominance

The Lone Star State leads the country in wind power. Now Texas aims to ramp up its solar production, too.
This week the state senate is considering an avalanche of bills that would boost state incentives for solar power, and the entire legislative session has become known as the “solar session.”
Altogether, according to David Power, the deputy director of Public Citizen Texas, a consumer and environmental advocacy group, there are 69 renewable energy bills before the legislature, and more than 50 of them promote solar power — far more than ever before.
“There are senators and representatives that are talking about solar that have never mentioned the word probably in their lives,” he said. “We’ve actually heard the term ‘global warming,’ and two years ago that was called ‘the G word’ — you didn’t talk about it.”
Mark Strama (http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist50/strama.php - broken link), a state representative who is a leading promoter of renewable energy, has introduced at least five green bills this year (including a measure that would allow local governments to create a property-tax financing program for solar, along the lines of several California cities).
“It just seems like everybody recognizes our leadership in wind, and that government policy got us where we are today in wind,” he told me last month.
In solar, he added, “We need to catch up.”

Some businesses, concerned about higher energy prices, urge caution.
“The state should avoid picking economic winners and losers in our economy through subsidizing solar — or any energy source — at the expense of the residential, commercial and industrial consumers who contribute significantly to the Texas economy,” Luke Bellsynder, the executive director of the Texas Association of Manufacturers, said in an e-mail message.
He also said, however, that his group supported incentives and tax abatements for solar, and broadening the state’s energy portfolio.
Earlier this month, the city of Austin, which is aggressively pursuing renewable power, unanimously gave a go-ahead (http://www.austinenergy.com/About%20Us/Newsroom/Press%20Releases/2009/solarSystem.htm - broken link) to a private company to build the largest photovoltaic plant in the country, so that the local utility, Austin Energy, can buy the electricity produced.
But the city met fierce opposition from struggling local technology companies and other groups (http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/06/0306solar.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 - broken link), who complained about the prospect of higher electric bills.

[Wonderful Jellal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/bu...ia/14adco.html

Texas envisioned as solar power leader « Austin Technology Incubator Blog

Texas must do more about solar power, the potential is here and California won't wait Texas.California is the big leader in this area, it's impressive.

[mayhem154]

I think the biggest hurdle right now is finding a way to store the energy that solar panels produce. I dream of the day I can go completely off the grid and kiss TXU goodbye forever...

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by mayhem154

I think the biggest hurdle right now is finding a way to store the energy that solar panels produce. I dream of the day I can go completely off the grid and kiss TXU goodbye forever...

Why store it? If you're generating excess power you essentially become a power provider and you can earn money for letting what you don't use flow back into the grid.

[mayhem154]

Yes, but you're only producing energy during the day, which is considered off-peak for the energy provider. Without an effective method to store the solar energy, you're still relying on the grid to supply power to your home at night and on overcast days. You'll save money on your electric bill, but it would take years to recoup the money you spent to purchase the panels. If you can come up with a way to store the excess energy you generate during the day and you combine that with wind power, you wouldn't need the grid at all.

[John26]

Originally Posted by mayhem154

Yes, but you're only producing energy during the day, which is considered off-peak for the energy provider. Without an effective method to store the solar energy, you're still relying on the grid to supply power to your home at night and on overcast days. You'll save money on your electric bill, but it would take years to recoup the money you spent to purchase the panels. If you can come up with a way to store the excess energy you generate during the day and you combine that with wind power, you wouldn't need the grid at all.

IIRC with net metering with you tied into the grid whatever power you produce gets deducted from the price of whatever you use. It is essentially an even exchange up to whatever you use for the month (day or night), if you generate any in excess of what you use then you are paid wholesale rates which are less.

If you are looking at it from a strictly how long does it take for these panels to pay for themselves perspective then tying into the grid will pay back faster since you arent also paying for the cost of batteries.

However if you want to be off the grid for the benefits of being self sufficient then yes you will need batteries.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by mayhem154

Yes, but you're only producing energy during the day, which is considered off-peak for the energy provider. Without an effective method to store the solar energy, you're still relying on the grid to supply power to your home at night and on overcast days. You'll save money on your electric bill, but it would take years to recoup the money you spent to purchase the panels. If you can come up with a way to store the excess energy you generate during the day and you combine that with wind power, you wouldn't need the grid at all.

I think you are mistaken here.

Peak energy demand is during daytime and late afternoon hours. Most businesses, industry and residential demands are during daylight and evening hours. Why would there be a peak energy demand at night when everyone is sleeping?

[mayhem154]

I wasn't implying overnight, while everyone is sleeping. I guess I should have said evening, or those hours between 5-10PM while most people are at home using power. These are peak hours for residential usage. These are the hours you, as a residential customer would need the grid the most.