The danger of saving energy

[Erasmo]

Originally Posted by stovie

The thing is why maintain the grid when everyone in your city has solar and is paying the city 3-4 times its cost over 30 years?? The way your pointing out has the city/company paying out instead!!

Correct, I make a few hundred euro profit with my pv each year.

My total costs for grid maintenance etcetera are roughly €200 per year, the price per kWh used depends on what company you choose to use.
At the end of the year they look at your usage and production and they pay the full price for you produced energy until it zeros out you usage. Everything above that you can still sell but for a lower price.

Let's say that your price is 19c/kWh and you consume 2000 and produce 2200 per year. For the first 2000 you get 19c back and for the last 200 you get 10c.

Why maintain the grid? Because it is efficient and with the rollout of smart grids will only get better. If everybody had batteries and was on their own little island you would need a lot of PV to generate your demands for the winter, while in the summer you're still generating energy when your batteries are full. Not very efficient.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Everyone who has gone to off grid solar says it's a lot more expensive than grid power.

It's pointless to go off-grid if it's easily accessible. The grid is essentially a more efficient, cost-effective, and unlimited, battery.

Off-grid only makes sense in markets where the utility rates are crazy, or the grid is too remote.

Perhaps it makes sense if the power needs are extremly low.

[Fat Charlie]

It'd take a long time of monthly connection fees to be more painful than buying your own power production and storage system- and being forced to always limit your usage to its capacity.