[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'T')hanks for the spacer adam, you have your uses

[theluckycountry]

2014-- World's Largest Solar Plant Opens
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he Department of Energy provided Ivanpah’s developers with a $1.6 billion loan guarantee in 2011. Ivanpah is one of seven massive solar plants scheduled to open in California in 2014. Together they’re part of the coming of age of big solar in the United States.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', ' ')But that's Crony Capitalism, the common people are simply a herd to be milked until they are too old, then it's the nackery.

[theluckycountry]

If you're in America, just remember to smile and pretend

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'I')f you're in America, just remember to smile and pretend

[theluckycountry]

What's Next After Solar Installer SunPower's Bankruptcy?
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')SunPower, one of the biggest national solar panel installers, has filed for bankruptcy. Here's what it means and what you need to know.

[theluckycountry]

Texas Solar Farm verses baseball size Hail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QvQXTJj8lg

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '[')b] What's Next After Solar Installer SunPower's Bankruptcy?
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')SunPower, one of the biggest national solar panel installers, has filed for bankruptcy. Here's what it means and what you need to know.

[theluckycountry]

You never sell your Gold they say, but silver...



Buy This? They go hand in hand with solar don't they?



Yes boys and girls, that's basically what's inside a $15,000 Tesla Powerwall, though now they are the Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) cells. They won't ever show you that on a video or even in images, it's a well kept secret. If people saw that they were full of the little torch/laptop batteries they are familiar with they might start to question how long their investment would actually last. You're supposed to think there is this magic technology inside instead of a big array of little lipos

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'L')ithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) batteries, also known as LiFePO4 batteries, can have a lifespan of 5–10 years or 2,500–9,000 charge cycles. However, with proper care, the lifespan can be extended to 10,000 cycles...

Here are some tips for optimizing the lifespan of an LFP battery:

Store partially charged at room temperature
Keep power levels below the maximum when possible
Avoid draining your battery completely every time
Avoid use in extreme temperatures
Keep the Depth of Discharge (DoD) below 80%

[theluckycountry]

The cost of solar "panels" has been declining for a decade and more, real declines too, 80 to 90% is touted. That is terrific news, so why aren't they on every roof? There are three costs to a solar installation. One is the panels themselves, the second is the expensive inverter, and the third is Labor. While panels have gotten cheaper labor has gotten more expensive and the inverters for the most part have too.

15 years ago the standard home panel was 80W, now it's 350W or greater. These panels are more efficient than their earlier cousins but are also much larger meaning less need to be installed on the roof. That cuts substantial time off an install both in bolting them down and wiring up. Of course this process reaches a natural limit as does efficiency gains. The cost curve levels out but it doesn't for wages and profits. This is what's been crueling the Home install market since Covid. Covid was a good time to install, or before, but now general inflation has pushed costs up, a lot!

There is no readily available data either like there is for panel costs, no charts depicting it. The only way I can work out a figure is to compare my own install of 4 odd years ago with my brothers recent install and my neighbors. Theirs was 20~30% higher. Possibly higher costs for the aluminium rails and fittings as well as the wiring was a part of that but labor was the big one I'm sure. Anyone in business for themselves wants to make a profit commensurate with rising inflation. Wage workers need to strike but owner operators just raise prices.

The business installations are a tax deduction and often receive extra incentives so it's no wonder they are striving ahead. For the homeowner seeing their income falling it's another matter though. This probably explains the collapse in US home installs and I've no doubt they are declining here as well.

[theluckycountry]

It's been a busy week in the USofA

Sunnova Goes Bankrupt After Receiving Billions in Green Giveaways
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')ut when the rubber meets the road, the high costs and consequences of what President Trump calls the “Green New Scam,” are proven time and again. The latest example – the bankruptcy of Sunnova Energy.

Sunnova, a residential rooftop solar company, filed for bankruptcy on June 9 due to growing debt and weakening demand. According to Reuters, it’s the second residential solar company to file for bankruptcy this month. In 2023, the company received a $3 billion partial loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to make “distributed energy resources — including residential rooftop solar, battery storage, and virtual power plant-ready, consumer-facing software — available to more American homeowners.”

[theluckycountry]

I was checking up on artic sea ice, believe me you don't want to go there, it's the lowest on record this year beating out the huge plunge in 2012. NSIDC is posting the charts but has no stories on it, odd I thought? But that's boulder colorado all over isn't it. Anyway searching around I came up with one and near the bottom of the page is an ad for $this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')almetto's LightReach program.
gives you all the benefits of solar power without the upfront costs. LightReach lets you lease solar panels with no money down, making it easier than ever to lock in energy savings. Palmetto assumes all risk and responsibility for the panels you lease, which means you'll get reliable performance without unforeseen costs.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '
')Sunnova Goes Bankrupt After Receiving Billions in Green Giveaways

[theluckycountry]

This is what a collapsing empires energy usage looks like.




People fighting over the scraps.



US and China side by side
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_ ... 00x452.png

And Australia. https://www.energy.gov.au/sites/default ... l_type.png

Where the energy goes, so does the prosperity. It's a funny thing you know, the psychological impact of declining wealth and lifestyle choices. People go into denial, get angry, they start bargaining, then get despondent, and then finally accept their lot. As an example inke is currently still in the Denial phase where as adam is locked in the ANGER stage. Many others here have moved into bargaining, others are despondent and have left. Naturally we are talking about the 5 stages of grief.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'T')his is what a collapsing empires energy usage looks like.

[theluckycountry]

Anger adam, ANGER! It is anger that created you, anger that connects, anger that draws you, that guides you, that drives you; it is anger that defines you adam, anger that binds you too me. One day you will move on, as kub has moved on, and one day you will be gone, simply another username on the database. Another American more concerned with where their next meal is coming from to be worried about posting on the internet.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', 'A')nger adam, ANGER!

[theluckycountry]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AdamB', '[')img]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5_EAY-O9154/hqdefault.jpg[/img]

[theluckycountry]

Back to the real world...

UK Pulls Plug on £24 Billion Desert Power Fantasy
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t comes as little surprise that yet another grandiose techno-utopian vision has ended not with a triumphant march toward Net Zero, but with a flick of the off-switch. Last week, Britain’s energy secretary quietly announced that the government “has pulled the plug on a £24 billion plan to bring Moroccan wind and solar power to Britain via the world’s longest subsea electricity cable, citing concerns over security and costs” . In other words, after years of hype, headline-grabbing simulations and talk of “reliable clean power for 19 hours a day,” the reality of risk and expense finally intruded—and the dream of Sahara sun for all has been consigned to the scrapheap.

[AdamB]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theluckycountry', '
')UK Pulls Plug on £24 Billion Desert Power Fantasy