Alternative Energy Sources

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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby mrfish » Tue Mar 22, 2016 7:24 am

CoolChick: I think from a purely financial point of view solar energy is marginal. With subsidization it could be worth it, but that's the government providing a cost break and that's a different thing. As for the possibility of being able to go off the grid as they say, now that is something worth investing in, but just don't expect it to save you a bunch of money.
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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby ergot » Mon Jun 13, 2016 6:54 am

Our Power Grid Is Failing. What We Can Do About It?
Is solar energy and the "smart grid" the solution to the problem?
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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby BoraxBill » Mon Jun 13, 2016 7:23 am

It might not be a bad idea for some entrepreneurial type to buy up vacant lots around Trona and put in a bunch of mini solar farms. Trona could probably become self-sufficient in terms of electricity and someone could probably make a good amount of money in the process. I'm not sure what the initial investment would be or how quickly those costs would be recovered, but it seems plausible that such a business could be profitable. There are probably government incentives to help someone with a project like this. It would be worth look into.
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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby shadylady » Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:38 am

BoraxBill: Trona would be an ideal place to experiment with smart grid configurations. It's isolated and small and so equipment could be tested in relative isolation and tweaks to the system could be made in an ongoing manner which would allow for innovation and fine-tuning. Plus Trona has a ton of sun and so it would be a great prototypical project to present as an example to other companies and communities interested in smart grids utilizing solar.
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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby sandman » Thu Jun 30, 2016 7:15 am

Can Nanotechnology Turn Windows Into Solar Panels?
If the efficiency of solar panels were to be increased, they might be worth the bother!
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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby desertrat » Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:59 am

How California roads could produce electricity
Cute idea, but is it cost-effective? How many years does it take for these little disks to generate enough electricity to pay for their manufacturing and installation? How much more complicated do road repairs become? Will they need to be replaced BEFORE they actually pay for themselves? Will more energy go into creating and installing them, than is collected from their use? Will their installation result in huge traffic nightmares and other unintended consequences? I'm all for cute ideas if they actually benefit society, but before anyone gets all pumped up over this cute idea, let's think about the possible problems first and maybe try a few small scale projects before we get carried away with what might be at best a novelty.
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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby twister » Sat Oct 29, 2016 7:28 am

Tesla's solar roofs could revolutionize the industry :sun:
These are probably expensive as heck, but they look really nice!
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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby tronagirl » Mon Oct 31, 2016 6:22 am

twister: Those are really nice tiles, but I think you're probably right about them being hella expensive. The other question I have is how heavy are they. Would they weigh too much to put on a roof that isn't properly reinforced? Or is that even an issue?
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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby sandman » Sat Nov 19, 2016 8:44 am

Tesla's solar roofs may be cheaper than expected
Just like the price of computers came down while their processing power went up over the course of several years, the same is likely to be the case for solar energy systems. Regardless of when you jump in something cheaper and better is likely to become available a year or two later.
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Re: Alternative Energy Sources

Postby surfsteve » Sat Nov 19, 2016 9:19 am

Solar roofing material is a brilliant idea!
Make Trona great again!
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