[spdrun]

Last I checked, AC won out the AC vs DC many years ago. Do we need to repeat the battle?

Edison vs Tesla concerned power sent to the end user. Edison: 110/220V DC
Tesla: 110/220V AC

AC won because it could be converted to higher voltage for transmission and then dropped down to lower voltage at customer sites more easily with the equipment of the day. DC would have required motor-generator sets or mechanical inverters plus transformers at the time.

On the other hand, long distance high-voltage DC transmission has become more common in the last 50 years. DC doesn’t have capacitative and inductive losses, and the equipment to produce DC from AC at one end and convert it back to AC at the other has become cheaper and more efficient.

Plus, you don’t have to worry about matching phase angles across continents.

[spdrun]

We’ll probably see a worldwide transmission grid based on DC voltages upwards of 1 MV (maybe even 10x that level) sooner than that. Practically doable today with a link across the Bering Strait.

It would provide a similarly good solution. Lots of empty land in North Africa near enough to the equator not to suffer from seasonal effects.

Day-night usage can also be balanced to some extent using smart grids. You don’t need to run your washing machine RIGHT NOW often enough, but it can be set to start during times of low grid load…

[spdrun]

The “battery” will probably be a turbine running in reverse pumping water into a reservoir, or hot fluid from a solar-thermal plant being circulated through a salt bed capable of storing energy through phase change. Not a chemical battery.

Of course, there are other, interesting (for now theoretical) alternatives that may not require as much storage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space-based_solar_power

Huge satellites orbiting so that several are always exposed to the sun, combined with a world-spanning power grid and microwave power transmission. Hell, even without the satellites, a worldwide grid based on very high voltage (hench, low loss) DC power would solve a lot of day-night problems.

[spdrun]

One person pegs it at 10,000 square miles or 100 x 100 square miles.

This assumes no conservation and no other clean sources of power like hydroelectric:

http://www.energytrendsinsider.com/2008/02/25/running-the-u-s-on-solar-power/

Here are some calculations for rooftops:

http://www.energytrendsinsider.com/2007/07/27/a-solar-thought-experiment/

It’s actually somewhat doable. You’d need a storage mechanism like pumped hydro or molten salt though.

[spdrun]

Yes and yes. Difference is that neither spreads toxic, acidic, sludge around if accidents happen. Neither wind farms or solar farms tear off entire hilltops either.

Lastly, environmental costs can’t be quantified adequately by the beancounters in my book. We have only one planet that’s currently suitable for human life, and we have to treat it right till something better comes along.

Nit to pick: it’s either thermal solar or photovoltaic. There’s no such thing as “thermal solarvoltaic”

[spdrun]

Advanced coal still has the problem of environmental destruction from mining (ever seen a strip-mine?), plus CO2 emissions, even if sulfur dioxide and particulates are scrubbed.

Solar is also getting cheaper, and will CONTINUE to get cheaper as economies of scale from widespread adoption come into play. Besides, even at say 50% more expensive, there’s room for conservation of energy. Better lights, more efficient equipment, etc. If you go to many other countries, you see hotel and apt building hallway lights either on a motion sensor or a timer with a momentary contact switch outside of every door. Not so in the USA…

Lastly, assuming we end up with large-scale adoption of electric vehicles, a lot of the power will be consumed near the point of production. Think office parking lots with solar carport shades for charging…

PS – SPWR stock has been on an angry wildebeest style tear since late 2012…

[spdrun]

Even better — isn’t the county planning to build the plant smack on the Carlsbad cost, near the Encina power station?

[spdrun]

I said “perhaps [they] would.” The original poster said “should have” and was discussing a scenario as if what should have happened according to him did actually happen.

Are you just arguing to argue? It’s cool if you are, I’m an argumentative sort myself and the temptation is always there.

[spdrun]

Your response was to a hypothetical, so we’re talking hypothetical scenarios 🙂

[spdrun]

^^^

We’re talking about an ideal world where it’s required in new developments. Perhaps power firms would also be required to accept power at reasonable rates in this universe.

[spdrun]

Suggestions?

Rent a condo with a few bedrooms in a decent school district, then buy something (new or not) between Thanksgiving and New Years’ when the market is usually dead slow and deals are better.

Actually living there w/o buying allows you to get acquainted with the area and there’s no pressure to buy by a drop-dead date, which improves your negotiating mojo.

[spdrun]

Even if solar power isn’t used in situ, it can be resold to the grid. And excess grid power can be used to run desalination plants (which are largely independent of time-of-day). So there!

[spdrun]

In the ones I’ve seen, they were *not* allowed to accept a regular offer before the property was auctioned. I don’t see ANY problem with the 5% fee. It’s very clearly stated up front on the web site, and buyers can adjust their max bids accordingly.

Figure out what the property is worth to you, divide by 1.05, bid up to that amount and no more. If you’re overbid, move on, there will be others. The only people getting screwed are the banks, but I’d rather see money in the hands of an auction company than more money in the hands of banksters.

[spdrun]

As a new handset, I’d love to play with a Jolla/Sailfish phone… The OS looks really beautiful and interesting, minimalist concept and battery life appeal to me, but apparently the thing doesn’t support US 3G/LTE bands and is generally very beta.

http://www.whatsupmarkets.com/jolla-smartphone-minimalist-phone-created-geeks/

Might also try out the Sony Experia Z1-Compact phone. Also not available in the US, but it seems to be compatible with T-Mo’s US network, so I could probably get one that fell from a truck onto EBay…

[spdrun]

Call me weird, but strictly as a phone and communication device, my late 2011-era Blackberry kicks 95% of the devices I’ve seen made by the big four up and down the block. Amazing battery life, quiescent battery life measured in weeks, nearly instant boot time after turned off, very fast email delivery via BB’s infrastructure, excellent sound and reception as a phone, full tactile keyboard, pocket size, seamless WiFi roaming built in, etc.

For anything else, I use a tablet or small laptop. To some extent, I also find the limitations of the BB to be refreshing. It keeps me in touch, lets me check, respond to email, take calls, take pics, do maps, check web sites, but isn’t intrusive in the sense that it tempts me to surf the Web while walking down the street.

I used to have an iPhone, and felt tempted to play with it too much — it decreased my awareness of the world around me, and that bothered me.

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