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Tesla To Construct 'Virtual Solar Power Plant' Using 50,000 Homes (cleantechnica.com)
Long-time Slashdot readers denbesten, haruchai, and Kant all submitted this story. CleanTechnica reports:
Tesla and the government of South Australia have announced a stunning new project that could change how electricity is generated not only in Australia but in every country in the world. They plan to install rooftop solar system on 50,000 homes in the next four years and link them them together with grid storage facilities to create the largest virtual solar power plant in history. And here's the kicker: The rooftop solar systems will be free. The cost of the project will be recouped over time by selling the electricity generated to those who consume it.
"We will use people's homes as a way to generate energy for the South Australian grid, with participating households benefiting with significant savings in their energy bills," says South Australia's premier Jay Weatherill. "More renewable energy means cheaper power for all South Australians..." Price predicts utility bills for participating households will be slashed by 30%.
Electrek reports that the project will result in at least 650 MWh of additional energy storage capacity, and Tesla points out that "At key moments, the virtual power plant could provide as much capacity as a large gas turbine or coal power plant."
"We will use people's homes as a way to generate energy for the South Australian grid, with participating households benefiting with significant savings in their energy bills," says South Australia's premier Jay Weatherill. "More renewable energy means cheaper power for all South Australians..." Price predicts utility bills for participating households will be slashed by 30%.
Electrek reports that the project will result in at least 650 MWh of additional energy storage capacity, and Tesla points out that "At key moments, the virtual power plant could provide as much capacity as a large gas turbine or coal power plant."
Because they'll sell you electricity below market rates and not charge for installation or maintenance of the system.
One of the Australian "lower level govvie drones" quoted in the article was the premier of South Australia, so not exactly lower level. Your theme seems to be that those in government are always stupid, corporations making profit is always evil, and absolute cynicism about everything is always warranted. You could be replaced by one of those little dippy drinking birds placed in the voting booth every election and the world wouldn't even notice your nonexistence.
I don't trust atoms -- they make up stuff.
Nuclear is not an option.
Nuclear is always an option.
South Australia does have uranium but there is no domestic market and likely never will be - political suicide to anyone who would stare down environmentalists.
Then the "environmentalists" are ignorant, or idiots, or quite possibly both. Nuclear power produces less carbon than solar and kills fewer birds than wind. If these people are concerned about global warming and saving rare birds then they'd support nuclear power just as much or more than wind and solar.
There were murmurs about commissioning a study a year or two back but any motion would ultimately be defeated by both the coal lobby and the greens.
Do the lobbies vote or do the people? I'm sure both lobbying groups contain a lot of people but just how many coal miners are there? I've already established the "greenies" are ignorant idiots. For those that don't much care about global warming, coal mining jobs, or birds getting killed in windmills, then there is still the matter that nuclear power is safe, reliable, and inexpensive. There are more than 400 nuclear power plants worldwide in operation today. 50 more are being built today, and many more planned. If Australia can't bring themselves to embrace nuclear power now then they will in the future. I see that Australia exports a lot of coal and uranium. I expect that at some point, with old coal power being shut down and new nuclear coming online, uranium exports will exceed that of coal and then the coal lobby will no longer have the power to stop domestic nuclear power.
Oh, and that moonbat Helen Caldicott isn't getting any younger. I expect a lot of anti-nuclear sentiment to die off with her.
I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
Ooh, youtube citations! I can do that too:
Solar is becoming cheaper than all other alternative energy sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
He specifically talks about nuclear here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Tony Seba suggests that personal rooftop solar will eventually be cheaper than any grid supply, even a fantastical free energy supply, because its cost will drop below the cost of transmission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Ask me about repetitive DNA