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power grid collapsing in NY


If you want nuclear power we need to shorten the approval process inside a year and lift the ban on breeder reactors.
 

Where are you getting that information from?

Ontario produces 27% of Canada's electricity. If they are half the population, they are also importing it from elsewhere.

Ontario power production includes:

21 megawatt Atikokan coal facility

950 megawatt Lambton coal facility

2.76 gigawatt Nanticoke coal facility, the largest coal-fired power plant in North America.
 
0bserver92 said:
They are incredibly inefficient vs. cost and as you buy them something new and much more efficient comes along, you know this feeling whenever you buy a computer.
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So what? Stuff gets better all the time, and if you keep waiting for the next best thing, then you will never buy anything.

And you can flip that btw... the grid is ancient in most of the US, because the electrical companies and government have refused to upgrade and maintain because they are waiting for the next best technology
 
We were told that the "stimulus"would go to infrastructure. We should have secure power grids for the money that was spent.
 
TacticalEvilDan said:
Yep. You just have to customize your setup for your environment and get a good controller for the system. You can't just throw things together without knowing what you're doing and expect it to just work.
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Exactly. Our first system was undersized; we got advice from someone who knew solar, but had been living on a boat for 10 years... we had to double the size of our array. But now we're doing fine. We'd like to replace the panels with higher yield ones (technology has improved, costs have gone down). In our dreams we'd like to expand the battery bank, but am really hoping when we next need batteries that there are lighter, better batteries available. But overall, it's working. (note: we're off grid)
 
Drake McHugh said:
We were told that the "stimulus"would go to infrastructure. We should have secure power grids for the money that was spent.
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Do you realize how much infrastructure we have in this country? bridges, roads, power transmission, nuclear plants, coal plants, dams, etc etc etc. Stimulus only went so far. It wasn't all targeted to the power grid.
 

My friendly neighbourhood nuclear power plant. We are not importing it either as we have to pay other provinces to take our electricity we generate through wind turbines so they are kind of useless. I also know for a fact we have two more coal power plants in Ontario and both are planned to shut down by the end of this year.
 
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Renewable energy is expensive and the next iterations are always much more inefficient but it is not like your computer where you buy a new one for 1000$ wind turbines have a bureaucracy and cost a fortune of taxpayer dollars for almost useless pieces of scrap metal.
 

HOLY CRAP! What coloring book did you get that from?

Half life has little to do with how dangerous it is to biological life, only how long that danger exists. For example, is it an alpha, beta or gamma emitter? Is it water soluble, or does it collect in tissues? Is it enriched or is it mixed with other elements or isotopes?

You've proven one thing... a slow intellect is much more dangerous
 

I have stated over and over that both wind and solar are very efficient on a small scale, it is the wind and solar farms run by corps that receive our tax dollars to prop them up I am against.
 

Gawd short sightedness is tedious... There are many ways to address this. During the day when everyone is running their a/c full blast, your solar is feeding into the grid and building credits. At night, when demand is far less, you draw from the grid.

There are two types of people in the world... problem solvers, and those that just bitch about them.
 

My solar panels actually produce slightly more than they are rated at in just the right conditions, cool and sunny.
 

My parents in Calif did exactly what you propose and it is working great but they paid for it themselves, they did not ask congress for money. They did it to draw from credits in winter to pay for their heating and it is working great.
 

Congratulations, I'm glad it's working out for you even if it isn't the perfect setup.

What kind of batteries are you guys using?
 
sawyerloggingon said:
My parents in Calif did exactly what you propose and it is working great but they paid for it themselves, they did not ask congress for money. They did it to draw from credits in winter to pay for their heating and it is working great.
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BULLSH*T! They got federal and state tax breaks.

 
paddymcdougall said:
Do you realize how much infrastructure we have in this country? bridges, roads, power transmission, nuclear plants, coal plants, dams, etc etc etc. Stimulus only went so far. It wasn't all targeted to the power grid.
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The government doesn't maintain the power grid, nor should it. We pay enough for "delivery" of our power even before we pay for the power itself that the power companies should have been managing just fine with upgrading things, they just like to keep the extra back.

When the east coast went dark a few years back, it was specifically because the power companies had held back on upgrades for something like 20 years, so when that plant in Canada went down the only thing the grid could do to protect itself was shut down -- using a system of giant throw-switches activated by blasting caps. Sheesh.
 
Occam's Razor said:
End corporate subsidies first, then you can complain about helping PEOPLE
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What do you consider a subsidy them actually getting money or them being able to front load the right off of depreciation of machinery?
 
TacticalEvilDan said:
Congratulations, I'm glad it's working out for you even if it isn't the perfect setup.

What kind of batteries are you guys using?
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We're using Trojan L16RE 2 volts marine batteries; we have 12 of them.

We had Trojans initially; tried Surrettes which did NOT work out well for us; so are back on Trojans and are happier.

I think when it comes to off-grid power, no one is perfectly happy!
 
Occam's Razor said:
BULLSH*T! They got federal and state tax breaks.
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Long post to make a short point.:lol: Yes they got tax breaks but not cash subsidies and land grants like these wind and solar farms get. I am fine with tax breaks to produce clean energy but not cash handouts to subsidize an industry that just can't compete in a free market.
 

Sounds like someone working in the oil/coal industry.

Is renewable energy perfect? Of course not, there are costs, both monetary and other costs, but it is the future. Oil is running out, and no amount of fracking and poisoning the water table will change that. Finding alternative ways of feeding our power need must be the number one thing any country should be doing. Investing in new oil base technology is a waste of money compared to investing in renewable technology.

Just think if every home and business in the Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas had solar panels on their roofs feeding into the grid? The amount of oil/coal that was saved (not to mention less pollution) would be massive and it would be a cash cow for the individual consumer.
 

I have 6 Trojans on their 7th year. I am going to upgrade to 8 batteries before winter. At $100 bucks a piece I think they are a bargain.
 


I agree power companies need to invest in their infrastructure. Totally agree with that.

However, the govt also does play a role, particularly in helping to protect against terrorist attacks and in working with power companies to make sure they are doing the right things. We have a DOE for a reason.
Infrastructure Security and Energy Restoration (ISER) | Department of Energy
 
sawyerloggingon said:
I have 6 Trojans on their 7th year. I am going to upgrade to 8 batteries before winter. At $100 bucks a piece I think they are a bargain.
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I think Trojans are really reliable and can take a beating. We killed our first set early through ignorance and too small of an array, but this newest set should last awhile. Or at least I hope so! at 125 pounds each, I really hate replacing them.... and that's "weight" pounds, not the British pound currency!
 
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