Discover latest article on the growing economic viability of grid defection as solar and battery costs continue to drop. With an upfront investment, many households could potentially save more by going off-grid, but this shift poses challenges for grid sustainability and equitable energy access. As more people consider cutting ties with the grid, it raises important questions about the future of energy infrastructure and affordability.
Read more about the findings here:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2024.112910
https://theconversation.com/going-off-grid-is-a-financial-win-for-some-but-its-a-threat-for-poorer-families-and-the-environment-240615
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This article explores the future impact of grid defection as solar and battery costs drop. It raises questions about how widespread adoption will affect grid sustainability, equitable energy access, and affordability. How must energy infrastructure evolve, and what policies or innovations will ensure fairness for grid-tied users?
We build a turbine for fun experiment in
On our land where a strong river passning through.
Sank down in river and drag cables to one smaller cabin. Generated enough of free energy to hold up entire kitchen system for 7 days we was there.
There is an aspect of this situation that doesn’t get much attention – net metering. Put simply, this allows an electric meter to run backwards when you are generating more electricity from your solar panels than you are using. So, if you are paying 10 cents per KWh, and you send electricity back to the utility, you are essentially selling them your electricity (they give you a credit against future bills).
However, it’s not quite that simple. When your utility charges 10 cents, some of that money is used for maintenance and worker wages. Therefore, the utility might only make a gross profit of 7 cents.
Then, if they buy it back from you for 10 cents, they are actually losing money. This is why some utilities will only give you a credit of 7 cents, so they don’t lose money.
However, there is a counter argument: As a community grows, the utility might have to builder a peaker plant to provide power during times of peak load. So, if enough people were selling their excess electricity back to the utility, a peaker plant might not be necessary – which could save them hundreds of millions of dollars. So, it could be in the utility’s best financial interest to encourage more people to install solar panels, by offering higher credits.
Different states have different laws regarding net metering.