Kyros it's lots of years ago that I was involved with BP Oil and considering BP Solar's photovoltaic prospects. Those prospects had improved a lot about 10 years ago when I last had a look.
Oil then was in the $20s range to $30s. Photovoltaics were uneconomic other than for remote requirements.
Now, with oil at $120 a barrel, photovoltaics must be economic for a LOT of applications, competing directly with peak usage thermal and nuclear power stations. Not to mention on the roof of houses where people pay premium electricity price on after tax income, after essential costs like food and rent.
Storage of electricity is the key to success in a big way. Lots of us now depend on cyberspace for revenue, let alone communications and information. Increasingly, it is NOT a reasonable idea to have the grid go down and no electricity available.
Photovoltaics and electricity storage for lighting and a few high value appliances such as breathing equipment and cyberspace must make economic sense for a LOT of people now [in sunny places if not London and the like].
I'd say there is a huge business opportunity for a package deal for photovoltaics, wires, batteries, transformers and maybe feedback into the grid if that's allowed by the supplier. That must apply to swarms of businesses as well.
The cost these days of cyberspace going down is large to a lot of people.
Barrycourt, a motel in Auckland, has their own diesel generators and during occasional power cuts, they have been a beacon of hope. They have Zenbu Wi-Fi available there, so they will be a focal point when the electricity goes down.
Mostly, generators are not as pleasant or as economical to have around as photovoltaics, transformers and batteries [I guess though I admit I haven't added up the costs]. In some places, such as hospitals where bulk electricity is needed, diesel generators would make more sense.
Mqurice
PS: Ban ElMatador from his own stream here: Message 24542928 |
