Create a closed circuit of connected solar panels supporting the main electric grid to offset power costs, electricity needs and act as an emergency backup
Contrived _voiceFeb 26, 2022
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IDEA
Turn residential buildings into solar harvesting fields. This could be done to generate additional energy to fill existing energy gaps. The more people willing to participate, the more energy is collected. People could be incentivized to participate by offering bill reductions to those who participate.
WHY
As Oguntola Tobi mentioned in his idea here, there is a significant difference between the energy produced and energy consumed in different parts of the world and this could maybe help fill the deficit.
It's a very unpredictable world we live in and it would be reassuring to be able to have a local back-up power system in case of separation from the main grid.
Using generatrs burns fossil fuels, a greener option would be prefferable.
Tropical ,saharan and sub-saharan climates get alot of hours of sulshine continiously and reliably. This way something good can come from it.
How it works.
Most regions have a local power station, The people there use transformer systems to reguate the power coming in and make sure overloads don't happen. So there is a general measure of control , which is how they enforce power rations.
By connecting enough enough solar pannels you could create a working solar farm. Based on a blog post by Anesco ,"For every 5MW of capacity installed, a solar farm will typically produce enough energy to power more than 1,350 homes, while saving 1,200 tonnes of carbon annually." Of course a system like the one described here can't reach the numbers of a proffesionally designed solar farm, but that's not the goal. The idea is just being able to chip in to suppert current power needs. Once the farm is connected to the power grid, you can now divert exess power from the grid to areas that have a lack of power. Now you just have to balance between power from the sun and the grid to ensure there is always enough power.
The cost shouldn't be aproblem. current trends have most people using tiled roofs with the cost per square metre ranging from $50 to $80 , while the cost of a square meter of solar panels is $40 to $110 . The area of overlap is significant and thus makes the program even more possible.
Guide: The red wires are power from the solar panels moving toward the local power station while the black wires are power moving back to the homes once they've been regulated accordingly.
In case of separation from the power grid due to natural disasters or any other reason. The solar panels could be used to charge bateries for use at night and provide lighting.
Notes
Back in 2004 i lived in this region that wasn't connected to the national grid save for 1 house. Everyone else just had a car battery or two for their electricity needs, It was a tight squeeze but It sort of worked.Once the battery ran dry we'd all go to the 1 house and recharge them. I think power consumption levels have risen significantly from then. I wonder if battery technology has kept up?
I work in Solar sales, this already happens. It is called the net metering program. A lot of states have began to put in place massive incentives for people to go solar because of how much it helps the grid. In New Mexico (and other states) there is not just the federal tax incentives, but there are also state tax incentives. And to put the bow on top, with our company at least, you will be paying just as much as you do for power when you install the panels.
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Contrived _voice2 years ago
Nice, an expert on the matter. This should be faster than a google search.How significant is the drop in bills once you join such a program? Let's take new mexico as a case study. how many in 10 households are in the program? Are there any flaws with the system as it is at the moment? This was also bugging me while i was writing this. Once you remove a subset of your customers from the grid, how affected are their power needs?
Contrived _voice Feb 26, 2022
Please leave the feedback on this idea