Sunday, December 8, 2013

SolarCity, Using Tesla Batteries, Aims to Bring Solar Power to the Masses

Technology Review via Instapundit

Quote:

The fee based on that peak electricity...typically between 20 and 60 percent...The battery systems—and the software that controls them—are designed to reduce the peak draw from the grid.
Comment:

Very clever.  They're planning to give away the power generation equipment and selling the electricity.  They believe this will lower the cost of the batteries and make the whole concept work.  Also very clever.

You have to hand it to Musk, he is one clever dude.  But it still isn't a good solution.  Nuclear power would be much better, but you can't do a whole lot about people's irrationality.  It's built in at the factory, sadly.

I probably get a lot of head shaking from those remarks.  They just can't understand why nuclear would be better.  I'd say this in response--- they are so focused on things that don't matter nearly as much as they think and failing to see what should matter even more.  For example, an abundant source of energy like nuclear can make it possible to recycle across the board.  It does this by making it cheaper to recycle than to mine new stuff.  No matter how clever Musk gets, he can never produce the amount of energy nuclear can.  It will always be pricier, too.  All Musk is doing is skimming off the cream.

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