Gentleman
Why so much vitriol?
I prefer getting information about residential solar pricing, capacity needs, and questions about the applicability of battery backup from a long time contributor with timely firsthand experience gained as he uses these systems in California.
Is anyone prepared to argue that data from Tesla/SolarCity's promotional literature is a less biased, more robust source?
Arguing about the number of plugs available & the ease of installing additional plugs is directly comparable to the allegorical housewife arguing that she can't be overdrawn because she still has checks to write.
I'm not sure that electricity produced in California is a useful metric. California has been importing an increasing percentage of grid energy for some time. Has the amount of electricity purchased by Californians been dropping? One of Gerontocrat's charts could clear that up - at least to my satisfaction.
The mighty Hoover Dam once Lit up Los Angeles, now it's only good for peaking. Sid noted that the huge coal fired plant in Arizona (2.25 GW) is now shuttered. California is decommissioning massive nuclear plants.
If California were capable of generating all of the power she requires I've no doubt she'd be doing so. Instead she's buying more and more energy from economic competitors, even as EV's are taking an increasing share.
With this year's "Rolling Blackouts" the statistics will be skewed. Are the shortages primarily made up for with solar/battery installations, or with gasoline/diesel fired generators? The photos from a few weeks ago showing EV owners loading their "fronks" with quantities of fuel from local gas stations indicates that even those that publicly present themselves as ecologically concerned aren't averse to keeping the refrigerator running using fossil fuel.
Another thing that might be worth considering is "Cheap energy at Night". It's cheap right now only because a very few people use it. As "smart" appliances increasingly shift their load to hours with little demand, the demand during those hours will increase as will the cost.
This is probably good for the energy providers and distributors as every nickel saved by a consumer is a nickel that PG&E won't have available to spend on maintenance or to invest in upgrades to their system.
Can PG&E afford the many upgrades that electrified transportation will require?
Should this financial burden be carried by EV users alone, or shared with every electrical customer - or the taxpayers of California or the whole countries tax base?
The question of who will pay for needed road maintenance, in part made necessary by heavier and potentially faster EV's, even as gasoline/diesel taxes tank is a separate concern. One easily solved but one that anyone concerned about the costs of driving an EV should consider.
Terry
