Alternative Electricity Generation Sources

[Irrev-Black]

SMR company indicates there ain't a future in SMRs.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nuscale- ... d24dba/amp

[stevebrooks]

Well, well, fucking well! It seems the bulldozer of renewable power generation is truly unstoppable. Texas, that bastion of fossil fuels and isolationist power policies actually generated 36.11% of its power from solar sources the other day...well, well, fucking well!

More solar energy powered Texas than ever before on Sunday morning, with over one third of the electricity running on the state’s power grid coming from the sun. Experts say it’s a Texas record that’s not expected to last very long.

Weather conditions were ideal for solar, with clear skies across most of the state, when the Electric Reliability Council of Texas recorded the record at 10:09 a.m. Sunday.

At that time, about 15,222 megawatts of solar ran over Texas transmission lines to homes and businesses. According to ERCOT, one megawatt can power 200 homes in times of peak energy use.

Later that day, Texas broke a record for the share of electricity on the grid that comes from the sun: 36.11%.

https://www.keranews.org/energy-environ ... om-the-sun

[joele]

Victoria drops solar feed in rebate further, now 3.3 cents per kwh. At the same time retail prices are still rising meaning household battery storage is becoming a necessity in Vic.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... 5f8e3.html

[stylofone]

Victoria drops solar feed in rebate further, now 3.3 cents per kwh. At the same time retail prices are still rising meaning household battery storage is becoming a necessity in Vic.

I can see a time soon when the off-grid option will be preferable for new houses, because the high grid connection cost and shrinking feed-in will make it better value.

After that, the next stage will create an option for on-grid houses to cancel their subscriptions because their solar/battery combination provides for all their needs, the grid is just expensive insurance.

The pressure will really be on to fix it because the grid will need that power from rooftop solar. I assume the norm will be for demand-based feed-in tariffs, so you'd get a lot more money for sharing power back at night.

[stylofone]

An interesting scheme. The article focuses on two renters who have invested in it. They are still disadvantaged because the best value from rooftop solar comes from using your own power, rather than paying for grid power. Selling surplus power back to the grid is worth at best one third the amount in dollar terms. Despite that, the returns look pretty good for these solar farm investors, but the relevance of getting renters on board is somewhat exaggerated. Anyone could invest in something like this.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-23/ ... /103657946