GWguy
*
The cost to transmit the power to the regions that need it would negate any profits.
SMECO and Origis Energy Announce New 27.5 MWAC Solar Power Project
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The cost to transmit the power to the regions that need it would negate any profits.
They include both. I'd much rather have SMECO than Pepco or BG&E just from a service perspective.
https://www.smeco.coop/account/capital-credits/2016-allocation
You do realize it's not extortion but a reimbursement for the meter readers? SMECO was relieving itself of meter readers, so someone has to pay to keep them. You don't think someone has the power now to turn off your electricity?
Land development in our area is a horrible subject. It's being gobbled up by investors and the stupid bureaucrats aren't slowing growth. The solar farms could be pole mounted and incorporate better tracking systems, but the ROI isn't there. Wind power isn't really a viable option for our area. Ask the Charles County commissioners about their ROI at the 301 welcome center.
https://apps2.eere.energy.gov/wind/windexchange/wind_resource_maps.asp?stateab=md
As long as we can afford to burn corn in our car engines, we have plenty of land left.
If MD chicken farmers can't grow enough corn locally, then maybe we shouldn't be farming as many chickens. The phosphate inflow from the poultry industry is a significant contributor to bay pollution.
For this particular project, there is no productive farmland being sacrificed. I suspect they'll clear one of the tree farms for this which raises another fun question: If I want to fell 3 acres of trees on my land in Chuck Co, the county acts like I am trying to singlehandedly wipe out the crabs in the bay. If SMECO clear-cuts 300 acres, the county commissioners will show up for the ribbon cuttting. Hypocrites.
Chris0nllyn
Well-Known Member
The proposed solar farm this thread is about will utilize single axis tracking systems.
Chris0nllyn
Well-Known Member
Got my SMECO bill today.
My Capital Credit Refund was a whopping $0.97
My Capital Credit Refund was a whopping $0.97
That must be the awesome benefit of the solar array and windmills.Got my SMECO bill today.
My Capital Credit Refund was a whopping $0.97
LightRoasted
If I may ...
If I may ...
It's exactly what it is. When I signed up for electricity, I just wanted them to calculate my total monthly usage for any 30-31 day period. Visit my house once a month for the before and after read. That's it. If I wanted my electrical usage to be monitored by the minute, and reported to a data collection server every five minutes, that also could determine when I was home or away from home, and down to what kind of appliance I had in my home, to when my A/C unit kicked in and for how long, as well as my refrigerator, or electric stove/oven, or any other electrical device, I would have asked for it. I didn't ask for it. It would have been forced on me to be basically spied upon unless I pay them to leave the meter on my house that has been there since the house was built. These capital credits could have been used to pay the $2.1 million per year for the meter readers. SMECO BS talks all high and mighty about how home owners will be able to order electrically "a la carte". Really? When the average monthly usage is 1300 kwh? So maybe someone could save $2-$5 a month? I also do not give a s*it, zero, about what my neighbor's usage is, or isn't. All the reasons given by SMECO to have these "smart meters" installed in dumb home owner's houses and businesses are all BS! But you go ahead and believe everything SMECO tells you. Just like you believe everything the government tells you.
It's exactly what it is. When I signed up for electricity, I just wanted them to calculate my total monthly usage for any 30-31 day period. Visit my house once a month for the before and after read. That's it. If I wanted my electrical usage to be monitored by the minute, and reported to a data collection server every five minutes, that also could determine when I was home or away from home, and down to what kind of appliance I had in my home, to when my A/C unit kicked in and for how long, as well as my refrigerator, or electric stove/oven, or any other electrical device, I would have asked for it. I didn't ask for it. It would have been forced on me to be basically spied upon unless I pay them to leave the meter on my house that has been there since the house was built. These capital credits could have been used to pay the $2.1 million per year for the meter readers. SMECO BS talks all high and mighty about how home owners will be able to order electrically "a la carte". Really? When the average monthly usage is 1300 kwh? So maybe someone could save $2-$5 a month? I also do not give a s*it, zero, about what my neighbor's usage is, or isn't. All the reasons given by SMECO to have these "smart meters" installed in dumb home owner's houses and businesses are all BS! But you go ahead and believe everything SMECO tells you. Just like you believe everything the government tells you.
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Exactly. Solar power gobbles up tremendous amounts of land for a pitifully low amount of power production.
Yea, I picked up on that. Exactly why I specified better.
You're pissiness towards SMECO has nothing to do with my comment. I did not say I agree with it, but it is what it is. Don't like it, F--it, turn it off and figure out something else. Lots of ways to go off the grid.
black dog
Free America
My sailboats off the grid, as soon as I leave the slip it's in. :shrug:
Clem72
Well-Known Member
Just to revisit this with additional info.
Mr. Musk had a comment that the news covered today (that I have heard in the past) that it would take a total of 100 miles x 100 miles (10k SqMi) to power the entirety of the United States. That's a huge area, but pretty insignificant if spread across the roof tops and along the highways of the US.
But what if, as you mention, it wasn't. What if all six million four hundred thousand acres was placed on the most prime currently in-use farm land?
Well, according to the USDA we have approximately 922 million acres of farmland in the US. So the impact would be, about one half of one percent. So not enough to starve us out of existence.
There certainly are large areas of pretty economically useless and arid land...placing solar arrays on those makes a lot more sense than forcing their existence in areas like our where land is extraordinarily valuable.
Of course if we're going to have anything remotely near 100% of our energy come from solar sources (or even 25% of it) , there will have to be some pretty dramatic advances in energy storage to make it possible.
Restitution
New Member
Got my SMECO bill today.
My Capital Credit Refund was a whopping $0.97
Don't spend it all in one place. Spread that new found wealth around!
Chris0nllyn
Well-Known Member
I think his numbers are off. According to a (horrible) 2015 study, it would take 335,000 onshore wind turbines, 154,000 offshore wind turbines, 75 million residential photovoltaic systems, 2.75 commercial photovoltaic systems, 46,000 utility-scale photovoltaic facilities, 3,600 concentrated solar power facilities with onsite heat storage, and a massive array of underground thermal storage facilities to power the US solely from renewables.
Clem72
Well-Known Member
Agreed. Just pointing out that even if we somehow did decide to put in all of that solar, and only used prime farm land, that it still wouldn't measurably impact our ability to produce food.
But as you said, most large scale installation will go in areas not best suited for farming while most small scale will go on peoples roofs, and neither will reach any significance until we get cheap storage.