CA: "It's Official!" CPUC Approves $3.2 Billion Solar Program

Environment California

[Brilliant]

It's really designed to force poor people to move out of the State.

[dynachrome]

"The fund will be created from a small surcharge "

R-i-i-i-i-g-h-t.

[RadioAstronomer]

I think this is a good idea. The more energy independent you are in your own home, the more you are prepared for emergencies such as earthquakes, blizzards, etc.

[Cicero]

Middle class, taxpaying people will be driven out of state. Poor people will get free housing with solar panels, especially if they are illegals.

[Amerigomag]

The fund will be created from a small surcharge on electric and gas customers within PG&E, Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and So. Cal. Gas Company territories

A tax implemented without legislative approval by a governor who has promised not to raise taxes.

A tax imposed on a plurality of Californians yet benefiting all California residents regardless of location.

These were the basic elements motivating the Boston Tea Party.

[Boot Hill]

article:   "With the high energy bills shocking California ratepayers this month, there is no better time to jump start an affordable solar power market bringing true independence from our over-reliance on natural gas"

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Where your connection to the electric utility grid is either non-existent or problematic, solar cells can offer a practical solution. However, when used as a supplement to, or replacement for the grid, there is simply no rational economic way to justify the use of photovoltaic cells...

 

The Inefficiencies of Solar Power
(Based upon a horizontal PV array located at
the average continental U.S. latitude of 38º.)

ref.	source	loss (%)	power (per m2)
1.	Solar flux	-	1,368 W
2.	Atmospheric losses	45	752 W
3.	Night times losses	50	376 W
4.	Solar angle losses	50	188 W
5.	Cell conversion losses	88	22.6 W
6.	DC®AC inverter losses	10	20.3 W
7.	Net efficiency		1.5%
8.	Net energy             (per m2 per day)		0.5 kWh
9.	Value of energy     (per m2 per day)		4.3 ¢
10.	Solar panel cost               (per m2)		$530
11.	Payback period		33 years
Notes: Above the atmosphere. Compare to solar constant. Loss = atmos. absorp. + atmos. reflect. + cloud absorp. + cloud reflect. See additional references: 1,   2,   3 Necessary for calculating average daily value of energy production. Effect of solar angle on efficiency. Line 4 equals 4.5kWh per day. Compare to U.S. Average Daily Solar Radiation. Shell SQ175-PC, including specified de-rating for cell temperature and irradiance level. 5kW modular, certified, grid-interactive, inverter. Line 6 divided by line 1. Line 6 times 86,400 and divided by 3.6E6. From 2004 DOE stats for average U.S. residential price. Shell SQ175-PC solar panel, $699, 1.32m2 area. Exclusive of installation, inverter, interest, etc.

 
Let's put those numbers into practical terms...
How much energy do we get out of our $530 solar panel?

1. It will only light a single 60 watt light bulb for a 1/3 of a day!
2. It's the same amount of energy contained in 0.16 gallons of gasoline!
3. You'd get the same amount of energy by burning a 2 inch long 2x4!
4. It is the amount of energy contained in just four scoops of vanilla ice cream!
5. It's only 2% of the average daily household consumption of energy.

[Amerigomag]

I was wondering how solar power would benefit the consumer in a blizzard until I read your tag.

[Drango]

Public Goods Fund Trough

[Young Werther]

First: Change the Lightbulbs!

[GregoryFul]

Solar, Green power, is actually not quite so. What solar power does is capture solar energy that would otherwise be reflected or be re-radiated from the earth. Similar to the capture effect of "green-house" gasses, the energy absorbed by the solar panels will stay on earth, and result in global warming.

[Amerigomag]

Valuable information but in this case the secret is in the chip. Follow the money to the chip. Follow it from the middle class, consumer's pocket to the pocket of two entrepreneurs and their Chinese partners to the governor's reelection campaign fund. A review of previous threads on this transfer of wealth scheme will provide the a road map.

[RadioAstronomer]

I was wondering how solar power would benefit the consumer in a blizzard until I read your tag.

Hmmm... I grew up in Wyoming. Saw my share of blizzards. Took a week to dig out of one. Would have been great to have a solar powered radio and a solar powered pump at the well. But since that was back in the late 60s, such was not the case.

[RadioAstronomer]

Indeed, not the most efficient way of generating electricity. Why I am a big proponent of Nuclear Power. However, I have some land and a trailer on a piece of property in Wyoming still. All electrical stuff is Solar powered. TV, lights, radio, satellite dish, computers, etc. Works well for me.

[Republican in CA]

I think the system they're talking about is not independent. You're still on the grid, just sending electricity to the electric company during the day (which they pay you for). If the power goes out, yours does too.

The independent system is more expensive and takes lots of maintenance (or so the salesman told me five-ten years ago).

[RadioAstronomer]

You're still on the grid, just sending electricity to the electric company during the day (which they pay you for). If the power goes out, yours does too.

Ok. If that is the case, it's a bunch of BS. Thanks for the info.

The independent system is more expensive and takes lots of maintenance (or so the salesman told me five-ten years ago).

Depends on how elaborate you go. I have an AC inverter, a regulator, 4 panels, and a couple of batteries. For a simple trailer, it is enough and easy to maintain. :-)

[null and void]

Line item 4.

What idiot puts up a horizontal array? It costs essentially nothing to angle them to the proper angle for any given latitude.

[SierraWasp]

"“Its official!” celebrated Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean energy advocate for Environment California, a nonprofit, nonpartisan environmental advocacy group that has been pushing for a large-scale solar incentive program for several years."

"Environment California is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization. Our professional staff combines independent research, practical ideas and tough-minded advocacy to overcome the opposition of powerful special interests and win real results for California's environment. Environment California draws on 30 years of success in tackling our state's top environmental problems."

This "pantload" of self-serving BS (bogus stuff) is so big it has to be spoon fed to people with a spoon the size of my aluminum scoop shovel. This pile of BS is big enough to challenge the mountain of "Colon Blow" featured on a classic edition of Saturday Night Live a few years ago!!!

I haven't even read the thread yet, not all of the article and I can tell by the smell it wasn't hay... as the farmer hauled another load away!!! This has got to be the most hysterical hoax ever perpetrated on the people of CA... NO! WAIT!! The Sierra-Nevada CONservancy was more hysterical!!!

[SierraWasp]

Comin through for you... That's what Boot Hill people do!!!

Thank you Sir! Bravo!! Encore!!! Hit it again, harder! HARDER!!!

[SierraWasp]

"11. Payback period 33 years"

Hey! That sounds longer than the obligation on them (BLEEPIN) BONDS the Governor is tryin ta tangel us all up in!!!

Help America!!! CA is being driven mad by GANG-GREEN and our GangGreenGovernutter!!!