> I firmly believe, that we should be looking at micro 
> generation
> alongside other energy saving techniques.

We do mini generation when needed.
I was at a seaside location a few years ago and found what 
looked like a long shipping container sitting by roadside 
sand dunes. It had some seriously heavy duty connections to 
local distribution lines - probably at 33 kV. Some 
inspection showed it to be a gas turbine unitised power 
station used I think to meet summer demand in the area. 
Photos somewhere.

> Therefore rather than baseline grid connected PV 
> installations we
> should actually be looking at either street distributed 
> power power
> generation or household generation.  I haven't analysed 
> the figures,
> but I would think many households would eb able to run all 
> lighting
> (with low power bulbs or LEDS), many light power users - 
> such as
> radios, even newer LCD sets (where's SED when you wan 
> tit?), most
> rechargers for phones, toothbrush etc. This just leaves 
> high power
> guzzlers such as cookers and possibly refrigerators, to be 
> fed by grid
> connected energy.

I'd suggest that it's the sbsolute powerc % that you can 
prodcue locally that matters, regardless of what it's used 
for.

In the UK they are in the throes of implementing an 
interesting home cogeneration system made possible by 
aberrations of energy pricing and utility ownership. Homes 
are being fitted with NZ supplied Stirling cogeneration 
units that produce about 800 Watts AC and ?4 kW heat. The 
heat is used as a boiler replacement / assist and power is 
used either in house OR on the local neighborhood as 
appropriate. The Stirling units, even in the volumes being 
proposed, are very expensive. $US5000-$US10000 range I 
think. This works (or may) because the same German company 
owns both gas and power distribution companies AND the North 
Sea Gas sourced gas is much cheaper per kWh than the 
electricity. So cogenerating the power at source produces 
energy from gas that is 'worth" much more than the gas is. A 
win-win all round for NZ :-).


        Russell

-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist