Turn the sun off!!!

[Cobb]

Since I like it on the cool side I was considering a water heater that has a heat pump to warm the water. This way it make hot water, but produces cool air.

[gone-ot]

They actually produce combined A/C-water heater systems that "recover" the heat of refrigerant compression as heated water.

Water is a MUCH better heat "reservoir" than air, but most municipal water has minerals in it which produce calcium deposits that eventually accumulate and degrade A/C operation...exactly the same way existing water heaters do. The BIG problem with this is that when it occurs, it's VERY expensive to service because BOTH heater and A/C portions of the system must be replaced/repaired...LOT$ of $$$.

[nemo]

No to mention you need a service who understands how it works. My mother-in-law had such a system and the service company she had a contract with just disconnected the heat recovery portion because they didn't understand it.

[botsapper]

...go solo with batteries, if your grid doesn't want it.
Utilities Feeling Rooftop Solar Heat Start Fighting Back - Bloomberg

[CFECO]

If you cannot grid tie, forget the panels and go with the Utility. Stand alone PV with batteries is still very expensive...I've been "Off Grid", because there is no grid, at "The Ranch" for about 18 years.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by botsapper

...go solo with batteries, if your grid doesn't want it.

Interesting question: what happens to a PV panel sitting in the sun when there's either no load, or less load than it could potentially output? My guess is nothing, it just sits there.

So add a meter that's a little bit smarter, and only allows current onto the grid when there's demand for it somewhere.

[gone-ot]

Batteries AND super-capacitors!

It's interesting SAD that I live in Tucson, AZ, and until seeing that Bloomberg report, was NOT aware of ANY of those shenanigans the power companies (APS, TEP, Uni-Source, et.al.) where attempting to pull.

[CFECO]

Average Joe homeowner is not going to maintain batteries correctly so that would be sketchy, who does the maintenance? I am paying increased electric rates so my neighbor can have lower bills, ALL because the Government Required TEP Uni-Source to get a certain percentage of their power from "Renuable Resources". There are solar panels going up Everywhere around here, and I like the idea of putting panels on parking areas to also make shade, a two for one! I'd willingly spend a little more for Electric if it was equally applied, and sensibly installed. My neighbors panels on the East facing roof are not a very efficient use of MY money.

[Astro]

Hawaii may be different due to its size but in general household solar output is just a drop in the bucket compared to all the other power feeds into a grid. The utilities could easily reduce some of the other inputs to prevent the runaway, out of control, solar input destroying their grid.
Also solar is generated where it is consumed. If i am producing solar electricity and there are 10 houses in my street that aren't, then anything i produce is going to be gobbled up by those houses with near zero distribution losses. Instead of the utilities producing 2kw to sell 1kw they buy 2kw from me and get to sell 2kw to whoever wants it.
It may be different elsewhere but here in Australia the utility buys the electricity from solar at 8c/kwh and sell it as green electricity at near 40c/kwh. Considering the near zero distribution loss i fail to see what they have to complain about.
Our grid also has load leveling units. Basically a roadside cabinet chock a block full of batteries that charge up during periods of excess grid power and feed back in when the grid is running short of power. Not sure how many they have installed but it makes sense.
How about letting private consumers host their own load levelers. Put a sizeable bank of batteries in your garage, charge them up on off-peak power for 15c/kwh and then feed that back into the grid during peak demand times and get paid 30c/kwh? Saves the utilities the cost of installing them themselves.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Astro

Also solar is generated where it is consumed. If i am producing solar electricity and there are 10 houses in my street that aren't, then anything i produce is going to be gobbled up by those houses with near zero distribution losses.

Noy necessarily. Suppose it's noon on a weekday, and nobody's home in those 10 houses. Then they're not going to be using much power, so your solar has to find a market further away.

Now suppose 8 of the other 10 homeowners decide to install solar too...