(CA) Senate passes Schwartzenegger's "million solar roofs" program

[jpak]

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/11790776.htm

SACRAMENTO - The Senate on Wednesday passed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan for a new round of incentives to encourage use of solar-generated electricity.

The approval came despite arguments that years of government support have yet to make the industry self-sufficient.

California has a wealth of solar energy just when it needs it most, on stifling summer afternoons of the sort that led to rolling blackouts and spiking electricity costs during the state's power crisis in 2000 and 2001, said Sen. John Campbell, R-Irvine, one of the bill's authors.

Schwarzenegger's goal is to harness that abundance of energy and produce 3,000 megawatts worth of solar power by 2018. That amounts to about 5 percent of the state's entire electricity use at peak periods, the equivalent of the energy produced by six large fossil fuel-fired plants, said Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, another of the bill's authors. One megawatt is enough to power about 750 homes.

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[Kolesar]

1. 3000 MW? BFD.

The power company has 1800 MW combined at a nuke plant and a coal burner in my county alone. Probably enough to keep all of the TVs in the state running.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

2. Is he going to start driving a solar-powered Hummer now?

the hypocrite.

[salib]

3. So, there are about 45million homes in CA?

That is what these numbers say: 750 homes/MW x 3000 MW x 1/5% of homes

[Journeyman]

4. Electricity is used in more places than homes. . .

a significant portion of the water used in Southern California is brought here by pumps that lift it over mountains. that's only one of many uses. . .

[Anus Retainus]

5. It might help prevent the blackouts, but

if there is a blackout, you have to turn off your solar panel system!

I got a flyer this past weekend while going into my local Home Depot here in CA. In it they said that in case of a blackout, you can't run your alternative energy device, due to some sort of regulations.

[jpak]

7. It's to protect utility workers

Grid-intertie PV systems automatically shut down to prevent potentially dangerous unmanaged loads on (damaged) electrical lines.

You can still buy battery (or automatic on-demand propane generator) back-up systems for grid-intertie PV, but it will cost you some extra $$$$ (which isn't a bad idea if you can swing it).

[Anus Retainus]

9. It's a shame though

that you can't disconnect yourself from the system for solar too.

I understand the concern for the pole workers, but if I have a Propane or Battery Backup system, won't that feed into the net too?

I'd like to install a system, but if I'm still vunerable to other peoples over-consumption, what point is there to having a solar system that's gonna take me 10 years to see a net sum reduction in my energy costs?

[jpak]

11. You can go off-grid under MSR

and still receive the rebate for installing a PV system - it doesn't have to be a grid-intertie system.

Battery/generator backup would NOT be wired into the grid - even if you had a grid intertie system - it would supply juice to your home independently.

A grid intertie system lowers the cost of a PV system by eliminating the need for a battery/generator back-up.

More importantly, it allows you to SELL electricity back to the grid.

How much you sell depends on the size of your PV array and the efficiency of your home and electrical appliances.

A well-insulated California home with gas heat/stove, solar hot water and PV systems, CF light bulbs and Energy-Star appliances (especially AC and fridges) would not need a large PV system and would sell a lot more juice back to the grid than an energy inefficient home.

The payback time depends on a lot of these factors - we'll have to wait until the MSR bill is finally enacted (no doubt that it will be) to figure out what the exact payback time is for a particular CA PV system.

[hunter]

12. What's a shame?

The intertie system disconnects itself automatically during power failures. With the right controllers, one or two inexpensive "golf cart" batteries will keep a few compact fluorescent lights and a laptop computer running for a long time.

No worries, any good solar contractor will know how to do this.

[phantom power]

10. If you set it up right, that isn't necessary.

[hunter]

6. Arnold's job is to bury shit.

The "rolling blackouts" never happened. It's all a figmunt of your librul nitwit paranoid imagination. Arnold's good buddy Dick Cheney sez so. Here, have some money.

Personally, I'd like to see an "electricity optional" plan for all new structures. If Califonia required all new structures to have solar powered lighting we wouldn't have to worry so much about the energy schemes of Arnold's good buddies.

[jpak]

8. The previous incarnation of MSR did just that

It required all new CA homes to be PV equipped (IIRC).

Some found it a bit too draconian however...