Australia proposes a solution to chuck's solar problem

[farmaholic]

A couple of entrepreneurial wealthy young men are developing a solar farm on some farmland they bought right outside my home community. I don't know how many acres of panels are in this first phase(if there will be anymore phases) but my best guess would be 10-20 acres. They built a perimeter chain link fence and you could here the post pounder putting in the panel support posts.

I assume they will be tying into the grid because there are no businesses or houses right there to use the power.

Not trying to be negative but what happens if there is a winter with alot of snow? Do those rows and rows of panels act like a bit of a snow fence? .....covering each other up. There's no shovelling this project out of a snow bank It will be interesting to watch.

A neighbour tried to convince me that solar panels would be better to heat our proposed shop with than Nat Gas. Even I am not that naive to think that by the time the economic payback for installing the panels is realized they might have to be replaced. I'm pretty sure geo-thermal couldn't even keep up, shops with their huge doors, are not known to be the most energy efficient structures.

It's hard to beat the amount of energy in a unit of hydrocarbon sourced energy. It stores quite easily.

[Guest]

A couple of entrepreneurial wealthy young men are developing a solar farm on some farmland they bought right outside my home community. I don't know how many acres of panels are in this first phase(if there will be anymore phases) but my best guess would be 10-20 acres. They built a perimeter chain link fence and you could here the post pounder putting in the panel support posts.

I assume they will be tying into the grid because there are no businesses or houses right there to use the power.

Not trying to be negative but what happens if there is a winter with alot of snow? Do those rows and rows of panels act like a bit of a snow fence? .....covering each other up. There's no shovelling this project out of a snow bank It will be interesting to watch.

A neighbour tried to convince me that solar panels would be better to heat our proposed shop with than Nat Gas. Even I am not that naive to think that by the time the economic payback for installing the panels is realized they might have to be replaced. I'm pretty sure geo-thermal couldn't even keep up, shops with their huge doors, are not known to be the most energy efficient structures.

It's hard to beat the amount of energy in a unit of hydrocarbon sourced energy. It stores quite easily.

one old plumber here years ago said "there is no heat like a flame"

[chuckChuck]

one old plumber here years ago said "there is no heat like a flame"

The key word is “old”. Do you have fond memories Of outhouses when plumbers weren’t needed?

[AlbertaFarmer5]

You are completely ignoring what is happening in Australia at very high levels of solar electricity. LOL

Another justified use of the LOL. I started the thread with an article about What is happening in Australia. Which You still haven't commented on. Our resident boots on the ground Australian keeps pointing out the economic realities he faces. Producing a lot of something is not the same as doing it economically or reliably.