Electric vehicles during a disaster

[NoTrespassing]

I just read and didn't realize solar panels become less efficient in hot weather by as much as 25%.

 

[ponytug]

It is a real effect, and why panels are routinely mounted several inches or more above rooftops. It is also why for most people in the US, May tends to be the highest production month for power; good sunshine and cooler panels compared to June and July, when the panels are hotter.

We are 20F hotter than a week ago, and our solar power production is down by 16%.

All the best,

Peter

 

[cqaigy2]

They need to calculate max power for cold temps, so as not to overload the charge controllers.

 

[Gee Ray]

I don’t know if this is true. On the radio today they said that to make enough power with solar panels for California 100% of the state would need to be covered with the panels.

So it would be impossible to power the state with green energy alone. California has already shut down all but one nuke plant. So they aren’t headed that way either.

So with 600,000 EVs out of the 38 million vehicles in California the power grid is already over loaded. What a mess they are making out of that state.

 

[ning]

I don’t know if this is true. On the radio today they said that to make enough power with solar panels for California 100% of the state would need to be covered with the panels.

So it would be impossible to power the state with green energy alone. California has already shut down all but one nuke plant. So they aren’t headed that way either.

So with 600,000 EVs out of the 38 million vehicles in California the power grid is already over loaded. What a mess they are making out of that state.

Well let's see. You can get 425 watt panels that are 80"x40". Paving CA (163,696 sq mi) with these would result in 205,361,215,488 panels, which is good for 87 terawatts. Assuming you get an average of 6 solid hours per day of that through the year, that's 190,530 terawatt hours.

The entire USA used 3,930 terawatt hours last year; paving California with panels would not only be enough to power California, but it would power all of the USA 48 times over. This, of course, is why lots of people say "just turn Nevada into a solar generator" because... same thing, only even clearer skies, probably... and fewer people, less farmland to cover.

OBVIOUSLY you can't cover the whole state in solar panels, but the stated claim (which suggested it in the first place) is utterly wrong.

 

[Hay Dude]

This is all we will have to do if electric vehicles get stranded during emergencies.

Should only take a few hours and you can escape the hurricane or forrest fire.

Just plan ahead!

 

[ultrarunner]

Peak vs off-peak electric rates. That must be a feature in larger urban areas. Here - it's the same 24/7/365.

Do you have Smart Meters?

 

[NoTrespassing]

I don't know if our meters are smart, I know they read them wirelessly. Our rates do not change by the time of day. We have a one year contract at about 4 cents. Delivery costs are rising though along with taxes.

 

[ultrarunner]

I would not be exaggerating saying at times we pay 10x that with fees and taxes

 

[NoTrespassing]

August power bill was $90, slightly less than August 2021. We don't have much, 950 sq ft with 2 small window ac's. Our total monthly bills are about 1/3 of our income. Maybe we should buy an EV.