On Thu, Sep 29, 2005 at 01:20:26AM -0400, Bob Ammerman wrote:
> >A man self-sufficient using solar panels recently did a deal with
> >a NZ power company to sell the excess back at domestic retail.
> >He was pleased of course, but you could tell that the power
> >company exec interviewed was not too happy and had a "hmmm,
> >we'll see how it goes and this is not really a precedent" attitude
> >
> 
> A significant number of regulatory jurisdictions here stateside require 
> power companies to accept power back on the grid from co-gens at a net 
> basis. IE: You get the same rate you pay.

I'd be interested in seeing if Georgia Power will do this on their
Time of Use plan. With this plan the rate is set based on the time of day.
In the peak summer months they charge 4.9 cents a kWh for off peak time
but charge 16 cents a kWh for peak time! (M-F 2-7PM)

So what would they pay if you charged up a battery bank in the morning and
then turned that power around to the grid at peak time. If it's the 11 cents
a kWh difference, there may actually be a profit model there.

Of course the obvious problem is what to do about your own power needs during
peak time? From my research an absorption AC system would be the ticket. 
Absorption AC generally uses either ammonia/hydrogen or Lithium Bromide/Water
as the refrigerant. It's heat powered so the hotter the sun blazes, the better
they cool!

So one could run on solar/battery power during peak hours, selling the excess
to the grid, and use the grid in offpeak hours, charging the battery bank. You
even get the advantage that the 4.9 cents/kWh off peak is 2.5 cents/kWh cheaper
than the standard rate.

BAJ
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