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Re:California grid set record of 97% renewable power on April 3 by malchow on Wednesday April 20, 2022 @06:45PM (#31104044)
Solar in California is often breakeven after 4 to 7 years. Enphase enables microgrid systems, and the IQ8 can keep your house powered even when the grid is down, and even without batteries –– something never before possible.

https://enphase.com/sites/default/files/2021-10/IQ8SP-DS-000...

Worth nothing that PG&E is working with CA Democrats to try to kill rooftop solar. They want renewables, but only if distributed using their (badly operated and overpriced) grid. [1]

[1] https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2022/02/11/coalition-received-1-...

Re:California grid set record of 97% renewable power on April 3 by markvdb on Thursday April 21, 2022 @02:42AM (#31106614)
While I can't say anything useful about PG&E, net metering is problematic though. As used right now in many regions of the world, it is a large and inefficient subsidy to relatively affluent solar roof owners like you and me.

Where I live, a different regime is being introduced: - a capacity tariff: a base grid charge, calculated based upon quarterly average peak consumption - a feed-in rate: a wholesale rate compensation for injecting self-produced green electricity into the grid (my current rate: 0.064€/kWh) - a retail rate by one's electricity provider (my current rate: .02869€/kWh) - subsidies for installation of solar (up to 300€/kW peak) and storage (up to 30%)

This at least conceptually incentivises both of solar installation and peak shaving. Solar is less ridiculously profitable for me, but still a no-brainer in terms of profitability.

Re:California grid set record of 97% renewable power on April 3 by hedora on Thursday April 21, 2022 @01:38AM (#31106313)
I'm happy with our enphase system. We have batteties from them too.

The Democrats (and Arnold) pushed back hard against the proposed NEM 3 rates that would have killed rooftop solar.

I have nothing nice to say about PG&E.