32 replies to this topic

[Mr. Belding]

Some cultural differences make this more viable for Germans than for us in the US. (based on the anecdotal evidence from my observations after living there 6 years)
1: your 30+ cubic ft refrigerator.. Usually Germans don't go get groceries once a week. They tend to go every day. Some people don't even keep a freezer.
2: air conditioning. Kinda pointless there for 11 months a year.
3: heating. I don't think I saw a forced air heating system the whole time I was there. Hot water radiators. They tend to run through several homes from a community boiler room.
4: 220V electrical system doesn't lose nearly as much juice down the lines. Our 110V system is inefficient to the point of stupidity.

Lower loads on average things a little easier on the entire grid. Lower overall load = more efficiency from renewable resources.

[Tensor]

Some cultural differences make this more viable for Germans than for us in the US. (based on the anecdotal evidence from my observations after living there 6 years)
1: your 30+ cubic ft refrigerator.. Usually Germans don't go get groceries once a week. They tend to go every day. Some people don't even keep a freezer.
2: air conditioning. Kinda pointless there for 11 months a year.
3: heating. I don't think I saw a forced air heating system the whole time I was there. Hot water radiators. They tend to run through several homes from a community boiler room.
4: 220V electrical system doesn't lose nearly as much juice down the lines. Our 110V system is inefficient to the point of stupidity.

Lower loads on average things a little easier on the entire grid. Lower overall load = more efficiency from renewable resources.

This is all very true, but it will change here over time as well.

Energy costs are very low here, so many people don't really give energy efficiency much consideration. If energy costs start to get in the .20/kWh range, opinions will change very quickly.

When I first moved to Maryland the electricity rates in the summer were .17/kWh. My 1 BR apartment (740 sq feet) cost about $200/mo to power. Fortunately rates dropped a good bit after that summer and I never paid that much again. Now I'm back in Charlotte and my 3BR 1,400sq foot town home costs me about $100/mo.

I worked for a solar company in Maryland and routinely interacted with homeowners that had power bills that were $400+ per month. Bills at that level finally push people to make a change.

[Zod]

Murdoch heavily invested in oil sends memo to Fox News on how solar wont work here. Fox News watchers spoonfed info while flipping back and forth between WWF.