[mythtv-users] [Slightly OT] solar power for all our gadgets

[Mark Knecht]

On Tue, Mar 10, 2009 at 10:36 AM, David Brodbeck <gull at gull.us> wrote:
> Mark Knecht wrote:
>>
>> That's fine, but one guy won't fix the overall problem and why pay
>> $40K for a system that eliminates a $1K/year bill? It makes no sense.
>>
>> for someone like me in California with very high electricity bills it
>> *might* get paid off in 10 years, assuming no additional costs, no
>> system failures, no vandalism.
>
> In California it also has another benefit that's perhaps less obvious.
> California has severe peak demand swings caused by air conditioning loads --
> this is one of the reasons for the rolling blackouts they have in the
> summer.  Solar panels produce the most power precisely when the most air
> conditioning is required.  This has the potential to smooth out those demand
> peaks.
>

For $40K I can put my kid through a couple of years of college and
suffer the occasional brown out. That's my choice.

But then again I believe all American spent nuclear material should be
launched into space from Cape Kennedy in Florida directed at the sun.
If it doesn't work and comes back to Earth the chances of it effecting
me are zilch. ;-)

I don't need either politicians or peer pressure trying to tell me how
to spend my money. Maybe I should start drilling water wells? Growing
all my own food? Making hot tea using some sort of sun driven water
heater? Can we please go back to talking about the topic of this list
and drop the political POV's? This is pointless.

- Mark