Puzzle Pieces
Config and economics of putting the pieces together
What combination of PV/EV/Smart Home solution components make sense for you and what kind of incremental progression fits your personal approach to becoming more sustainable. Maybe you’ve always felt that going Solar would be something that you would like to do when the time was right. Possibly you’ve always wanted to experience the liberating aspect of driving your own Electric Vehicle by the lines at the gas station. Or are you into the latest technological gadgets for your smart phone and love the feeling of empowerment that comes from being able to monitor and control systems in your Smart Home while you are away.
This section explores these individual puzzle pieces and how they may fit together in various combinations. Many of the pieces are ready now while others are quickly emerging both technically and economically. Given the near term viability of the complete system, we feel it is prudent to consider that complete system from the outset… it will be up and running for the next 20 plus years.
Discussion of the PV only option… good start but no backup or EV.. and will ultimately run into mkt penetration issues.. current state of PV tech and econ on other page
PV systems have been around for years, and as such, are quite mainstream in many parts of the country. Unfortunately, PA is not one of them. Here we will need a concerted effort to inform the public as to the current state of technology and economics. We will
Discussion of the EV only option… again a good place to start but still dependent upon electric profile in your area as to the true environmental benefit. Also will ultimately run into mkt penetration issues
Discussion of the Smart Home only option…. can potentially help with conscious energy decision making. A good starting point from an energy conservation perspective. But no change in the environmental impact of the energy consumed.
Discussion of Solar Backup System… this combines PV with local storage and offers clean energy and energy security (i.e. critical load power when the power goes out.) There is still a grid limit with this configuration
Discussion of Solar Vehicle… this combines PV with EV and offers clean energy, clean transport and possibly energy security (i.e. critical load power when the power goes out). There is still a grid limit with this configuration
Not only can PV cost effectively offset your electric bills, it can potentially power an EV eliminating the critics argument that you are simply moving the emissions from the tailpipe to the utility smokestack where the extra electricity is generated. We could grow into the additional electric load required by EVs by combining PV and EV as a package deal. Not only would we not have to burn more coal for the EV, but we could generate the needed power right where it is needed using a rooftop solar array. Now we’ve killed a couple of birds with one stone;
- vehicle is off oil
- vehicle does not require more coal fired electricity
- extra vehicle charging load does not put undue strain on the grid as it is met by local Solar generation
Discussion of Solar Smart Home.. this combines PV , EV and Smart Home to offer clean energy, clean transport and energy security (i.e. critical load power when the power goes out.). In addition, this option not only clears grid limits but will play a vital role in making a stronger smarter grid.