MEL - Meridian Energy

[Baa_Baa]

Thanks for your posts and answers to my questions last night, much appreciate you sharing your insights here Jantar. Cheers, BAA

The prices for Tiwai and industrial users are indeed energy only, but the retail prices include the network and transmission charges. There are only two areas in all of New Zealand where retail customers pay their network charges sperately from their main supplier's bill. However major industrial users are billed seperately, and even smaller industrial users have their network charges shown seperately on their bill.

As for battery technology making gentailer shares risky, I'm very happy to take that risk for another decade at least.

[blackcap]

No - hooked upto solar so that you use teh suns energy when you are actually at home. Vector Trialed it but has pulled the plug waiting for battery costs to come down.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/indu...ector-roll-out

Isn't the problem with that that we (people) generally are not home during the day? Ie we use the most energy when the sun is actually gone?

[RTM]

With respect to solar...and I am repeating myself so apologies. It isn't necessary to make power. Much of the power we use goes into hot water heating. So another way to skin the cat is simply to put in a solar water heating system. Works a treat. We have not heated any water at all using power since before Christmas.

[fish]

With respect to solar...and I am repeating myself so apologies. It isn't necessary to make power. Much of the power we use goes into hot water heating. So another way to skin the cat is simply to put in a solar water heating system. Works a treat. We have not heated any water at all using power since before Christmas.

not everyone lives in kerikeri-when did you last have a whole day of rain ?

[Joshuatree]

I remember Roger checking out solar pretty thoroughly and his conclusion was it still doesn't stack up.And some expensive components need replacing quite regularly. Batteries a way off still imo. We hear about super duper new tech ones often ; which disappear without trace.Come in Roger.

[Harvey Specter]

Isn't the problem with that that we (people) generally are not home during the day? Ie we use the most energy when the sun is actually gone?

Exactly. Solar panels charge the battery during the day and then the battery powers the home during the night. The issue is that batteries are expensive, especially when you already have a grid tied home (if you are off grid, it can make sense depending on the cost of connection).

It has the added benefit of seamless battery backup in the event of a power cut. Did you know that normal grid tied solar disconnects itself from your house as a safety measure in the event of a power cut - so even if sunny, you have no power!

[Harvey Specter]

I remember Roger checking out solar pretty thoroughly and his conclusion was it still doesn't stack up.And some expensive components need replacing quite regularly. Batteries a way off still imo. We hear about super duper new tech ones often ; which disappear without trace.Come in Roger.

Its getting very close to parity but that requires good sun exposure (and sun) and it is hard to model the replacement parts (inverter life is shorter than panels and panels diminish over time - the 25 year warranty is only for 80% of original generation). You also cant forsee what the future power prices will be, nor the opportunity cost should have a system and improved technology comes out.

I note Elon Musk (or Tesla and Solarcity (the US one, not NZ) fame, and Paypal!) is building a huge battery plant to reduce the cost of batteries significantly.

[RTM]

not everyone lives in kerikeri-when did you last have a whole day of rain ?

We last filled our tanks just before Christmas. However your comment equally applies to trying to make power and store it from solar.
Heating water is cheap, its a cheap way to store energy rather than converting solar to electricity....and then using the electricity to heat water.

[Poet]

Solar Power is now firmly on the Moore's law curve and prices for the panels will come down exponentially from here. Installation costs will rise though. Don't be surprised if basic panel costs are 80% lower than they are now in ten years time.

Batteries, not so much. There is probably a 50% improvement available in the theoretical performance given existing commercial technology (NMC) and elon musk might bring the price down with mass production but will need a paradigm shift to get these on to Moore's curve.

Cost of traditional grid power is only going one way

Overall though, ten years from now these power co's wil be seriously disrupted and struggling.

[westerly]

If you are building a house solar water heating makes sense to me.

westerly