Domestic rooftop PV does not generally require reinforcement of the distribution grid, unlike solar farms, wind farms or new thermal generating capacity. On the contrary it may reduce the need for it by generating electricity close to where it is consumed, especially when combined with battery storage, and particularly if future EV charging demands on the distribution grid are taken into account.
Not to detract from your wider point, but ‘duck curves’, ‘cannibalisation’, and ‘capture prices' are real concepts that are worth taking into account and discussing - just that they will likely be sorted in very decentralized ways.
The government and the utility companies only make money, and the cost of the grid maintenance and management can only be met, if all power generation goes through the grid. So if every company put solar panels on their industrial and office roofs, and every home was built or retrofitted with solar panels, then the utility companies would go broke and the government would lose tax revenue. That is why there are so many regulations on putting up your own solar.
Here in Europe, I can buy solar panels for around 50cents per Watt, including controllers etc. So a 1 kW setup would cost around €500/$550 for the panels and controller, plus the fitting (an easy DIY for most handy people).
If a government was serious about CO2 reduction or a transition to solar, then every industrial and commercial building would have solar roofs fitted, funded by corporate tax breaks, and every new house would have to be fitted with a full solar roof with storage batteries. There would be grants and low-interest loans to retrofit all existing houses, and landlords of rental homes would be required to fit them too, but receive tax relief to help fund it.
This isn't complicated, except by political posturing, the greed of the fossil fuel companies, the greed of the energy supply companies and some people's fossilised ideas.
I think fears of a 'death spiral' for electricity grids has receded because electrification will mean increased loads to be handled by the distribution companies. In Europe and Australia there are much fewer regulations on rooftop solar compared to the USA eg in the UK no planning consent is required. Distrbution company permits are either automatic in the case of small arrays or handled by the installers quickly without involving the consumer. I may do a blog post about the terrible way the USA obstructs buildings-based solar!
The problem isn’t the economists who’ll surely tell you that 1kW of supply should be valued the same as 1kW of demand reduction in a unified non discriminatory market. The problem is the vested interests that stop that happening !
Domestic rooftop PV does not generally require reinforcement of the distribution grid, unlike solar farms, wind farms or new thermal generating capacity. On the contrary it may reduce the need for it by generating electricity close to where it is consumed, especially when combined with battery storage, and particularly if future EV charging demands on the distribution grid are taken into account.
Not to detract from your wider point, but ‘duck curves’, ‘cannibalisation’, and ‘capture prices' are real concepts that are worth taking into account and discussing - just that they will likely be sorted in very decentralized ways.
Now I want to know what they mean !
I've discussed some of them on my substance page. Check also Julien Jomeaux's page
I think you are missing the core reason.
The government and the utility companies only make money, and the cost of the grid maintenance and management can only be met, if all power generation goes through the grid. So if every company put solar panels on their industrial and office roofs, and every home was built or retrofitted with solar panels, then the utility companies would go broke and the government would lose tax revenue. That is why there are so many regulations on putting up your own solar.
Here in Europe, I can buy solar panels for around 50cents per Watt, including controllers etc. So a 1 kW setup would cost around €500/$550 for the panels and controller, plus the fitting (an easy DIY for most handy people).
If a government was serious about CO2 reduction or a transition to solar, then every industrial and commercial building would have solar roofs fitted, funded by corporate tax breaks, and every new house would have to be fitted with a full solar roof with storage batteries. There would be grants and low-interest loans to retrofit all existing houses, and landlords of rental homes would be required to fit them too, but receive tax relief to help fund it.
This isn't complicated, except by political posturing, the greed of the fossil fuel companies, the greed of the energy supply companies and some people's fossilised ideas.
I think fears of a 'death spiral' for electricity grids has receded because electrification will mean increased loads to be handled by the distribution companies. In Europe and Australia there are much fewer regulations on rooftop solar compared to the USA eg in the UK no planning consent is required. Distrbution company permits are either automatic in the case of small arrays or handled by the installers quickly without involving the consumer. I may do a blog post about the terrible way the USA obstructs buildings-based solar!
Hi David, trying to preorder your book but discount code TOKE30 isn’t working, have I misremembered it?
Dear Martin, Sorry about that, but the discount period has ended now. That's why the code doesn't work. But I hope you can still buy the book!
The problem isn’t the economists who’ll surely tell you that 1kW of supply should be valued the same as 1kW of demand reduction in a unified non discriminatory market. The problem is the vested interests that stop that happening !