Solar won't work without the Sun...

[Uncle Gizmo]

I note that some American politicians do not seem to have a grasp on reality. I won't name them because not being an American, I can hardly remember their names, even though some of the things they say and propose are preposterous!

However, I've never heard any of them criticize solar, citing a risk that the sun won't shine. So there is hope for them.

This post was prompted by this Blog by Casey...

Post in thread 'NASA Study Indicates Antarctica is Gaining More Ice Than It's Losing -' https://www.access-programmers.co.u...-more-ice-than-its-losing.282773/post-1895735

 

[The_Doc_Man]

There are times, Uncle G, that I think many politicians have stuck their heads up "where the sun don't shine."

 

[Steve R.]

Sounds like you are dismissing US inventiveness.
A sun that does not shine is a minor impediment that can be easily resolved through innovation.

 

[Isaac]

Sounds like you are dismissing US inventiveness.
A sun that does not shine is a minor impediment that can be easily resolved through innovation.

Do they require direct sunlight

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Like most natural processes, they work with non-natural light, but usually FAR less efficiently.

 

[Cronk]

Do they require direct sunlight

No. Power is generated by light so even with cloud cover there will be some power generated by solar panels. Earlier it was raining here and my solar panels were generating 210 watts. The theoretical maximum power if full sunlight with the sun directly overhead is 6.4kW

 

[Galaxiom]

Earlier it was raining here and my solar panels were generating 210 watts. The theoretical maximum power if full sunlight with the sun directly overhead is 6.4kW

That is why I have a 6.6 kW array with a 5 kW inverter. The inverter is matched to the typical power rather then the maximum power.

It is very rare that our array produces less power in a day than we use. On average we export as much power to the grid as we consume from our system and the amounts ever drawn from the grid are trivial.

The inverter has two independent circuits with arrays facing NNE and WNW (southern hemisphere) so it produces far more power than the house requires right up to sunset. The 13 kWhr battery runs us all night plus our power outages are measured in milliseconds as the system switches to backup mode and keeps us powered through the worst of conditions including a massive grid failure during a catastrophic flood a couple of years ago.

Our next expansion will put the pool pump on a separate direct DC solar system. The brighter the sun the faster it runs.

We get credits instead of an electricity bill. Best investment ever. Live in a sunny place and don't have solar? Might as well be burning money for power.

 

[AdrianJones]

Not everyone can afford to install solar panels. How many of them need to be installed and at what cost so that they are enough for a private home?

 

[Pat Hartman]

It is getting less and less beneficial in the US because the power companies own the politicians. The payment for your excess power in the US is paid at the lowest rate possible. The utility company also charges you a delivery charge monthly just to be connected to the grid whether or not you actually draw any power.