• whoOP
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    1118 days ago

    “The company compensates customers up to $150 per battery per season for participating.”

    I wonder if this compensation is enough to cover the cost of more frequent battery replacement due to the extra wear.

    • vortic
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      1018 days ago

      I was sure you were wrong ant that $150 was just an incentive to be in the program. That battery owners would be paid for their power.

      You were right, though. It really is a flat $150 per year. The company who manages the energy from the batteries gets paid for the energy, not the battery owner.

      • @IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world
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        18 days ago

        My Tesla Powerwall is part of a VPP program in the northeast. We have 3 powerwalls in total that typically put back 20 KWh during VPP events. Last year, the first year we did this, we were reimbursed $1459.97 at the end of the season. That energy returned to the grid also counts as a credit on our electric bill.

        Makes me glad I don’t live in CA.

        Edit: I guess it’s the sheer size of the VPP they tested in CA that’s the real news here. The one I’m part of currently shows 1463 homes involved in it.

    • @Brkdncr@lemmy.world
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      418 days ago

      I get by paid per kw consumed. And it’s a lot, like $2 per.

      VPP is great and should be the future for nearly all buildings. Distributed power can avoid system-wide blackouts.

      It’s also an opt-in program, and I can override it if I feel the need too.

      I just wish it was easier to get smaller companies like Ecoflow onto the program.

  • @Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de
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    18 days ago

    Pacific Gas & Electric and other top California power companies

    Here is my problem. This feels more like an ad for Pacific Gas & Electric and Tesla. The only companies named are these two. Where I live in Cali, has a municipal electric company that is GREAT. Tell anyone around here that you are getting PG&E and they will rethink the move.

    I’m so glad we are using more clean energy but, they should be owned by the community.

  • Cousin Mose
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    618 days ago

    Great, now let’s insulate our properties and stop using energy hog window A/C units! Let’s use dishwashers to reduce water demand! Let’s allow emergency vehicles to change the traffic lights to make our streets safer!

    Lol, just kidding. None of that will ever happen. This state will do anything but solve simple, impactful issues.

    • vortic
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      1518 days ago

      Why do we always need to complain that something good isn’t good enough? Yes, they didn’t solve the world’s problems. They did make a nice step in the right direction.

      • Cousin Mose
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        -518 days ago

        Because living here it’s tiring seeing all the headlines about stuff like this while in the real world little is being done about problems that have been going on for much longer.

        • vortic
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          818 days ago

          So you’re going to complain that the people who are actually doing something useful aren’t doing enough rather than doing something useful yourself. Seems a little hypocritical.

          • Cousin Mose
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            -318 days ago

            Right because I have so much power to change things as a fucking renter.

            • vortic
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              818 days ago

              Complaining that something good isn’t good enough is certainly helpful. Maybe go find somewhere more appropriate to complain about all of the shitty stuff. Let people enjoy the small wins. There are few enough of them right now that spoiling them with doomerism just makes things worse for everyone.

    • @favoredponcho@lemmy.zip
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      318 days ago

      Also; convert to roundabouts and you don’t need traffic lights at all. Traffic lights are expensive to buy and they use a fuck load of electricity. Also, fewer fatal accidents with roundabouts.

      • Cousin Mose
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        418 days ago

        I agree with this in spirit but they’ve actually installed traffic lights at existing roundabouts because I assume the smartphone-obsessed drivers kept causing accidents.

      • @phutatorius@lemmy.zip
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        116 days ago

        Roundabouts really suck when they’re saturated, even worse than standard light-controlled intersections. That’s why there are still traffic lights controlling entry into roundabouts in high-volume cases.

        Uncontrolled roundabouts work best at medium to low traffic volumes.

    • @Dearth@lemmy.world
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      118 days ago

      My friends have 2 mini split heat pumps that could not keep their 1600ft² cool. So they bought 2 $100 window units from home depot. Their energy use dropped $300/mo. Or at least, the energy equivalent. They’ve got solar and dont pay for their electricity.

      The window units use less energy and keep their home cooler.

      • @lemming741@lemmy.world
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        118 days ago

        The magic of an inverter system only happens at lower load. If they’re undersized, they run full tilt at minimum efficiency.