Bob
Global Moderator
Bird Geek
Posts: 7,029
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Post by Bob on Aug 8, 2012 14:32:58 GMT -5
This probably comes as no surprise: Federal scientists say July was the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous United States. The average temperature for the Lower 48 last month was 77.6 degrees. That breaks the old record from July 1936, during the Dust Bowl, by two-tenths of a degree. Records go back to 1895. ** full story here ** |
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Post by ximango on Aug 10, 2012 8:37:06 GMT -5
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Bob
Global Moderator
Bird Geek
Posts: 7,029
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Post by Bob on Aug 10, 2012 8:52:57 GMT -5
All I know is I was hot most of the month and my EPB bill reflected it.
as far as hottest ever, the record was broken by 0.2º [shrug]
good article though, thanks for posting.
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Post by Warkitty on Aug 10, 2012 8:56:29 GMT -5
My electric bill this month has me re-evaluating solar on my roof.
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Post by ximango on Aug 10, 2012 9:39:39 GMT -5
If you're serious about solar make sure you install lightning protection, too. A buddy of mine has an off grid house in Sequatchie County. His system was hit by lightning about 3 weeks ago and it wiped it out. Fried the panels, inverter, batteries, the works, roughly about $70K to replace. His home owner insurance doesn't look like it's going to cover it, either. Be sure to read the fine print.
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Post by gridbug on Aug 10, 2012 9:59:31 GMT -5
Solar isn't necessarily for off the grid any more. Current incentives for small solar installations now pay 30% of the project with a tax credit and for ten years they will buy any power you generate for $.12 over retail. I sell a kWh of power to the EPB for $.20 and buy one for $.08. In less than two months I've sold over $100 of power.
Lightning protection is certainly a good idea.
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Post by ximango on Aug 10, 2012 10:37:20 GMT -5
IOW, the taxpayers are subsidizing it.
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Post by gridbug on Aug 10, 2012 10:52:14 GMT -5
IOW, the taxpayers are subsidizing it. Happily this is one of the uncommon cases where I approve of what they're spending my tax dollars on  |
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Post by ximango on Aug 12, 2012 8:06:59 GMT -5
Until you take a look at solar from an engineering perspective and realize that the use of solar panels represent a net loss in overall energy. IOW, it takes more energy to manufacture silicon based solar panels than is harvested from them over their useful lifetime. There are many other more efficient methods of energy production. Thorium and breeder reactors, for incidence, are several orders of magnitude more efficient than solar, without the harmful radioactive byproducts left by current uranium fission techniques. Edward Teller, the recognized father of the hydrogen bomb, was a huge proponent of thorium reactors over uranium reactors, but uranium was chosen by the powers that be because some of the byproducts, such as tritium, have uses in nuclear weaponry. When the civilian nuclear power production began uranium was chosen for this reason over thorium because it was the height of the cold war. Teller advocated the use of thorium from the late 1950's until his death in 2003. Oh, and the USA is loaded with thorium, although India is thought to have the largest deposits on the planet.
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Post by mikeydokey on Aug 19, 2012 9:38:50 GMT -5
Lectures on thorium = Boreium.
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JC
Full Forumite
No Messiah
Posts: 1,919
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Post by JC on Aug 19, 2012 13:17:37 GMT -5
I looked into solar leasing before I had to let my house go.
They cover all costs and maintenance. They receive all incentives and money for juice put into the grid.
You pay a few bucks ($30 or so IIRC) per month for the lease.
In the long term they make off like bandits.... but if you save $100 per month on electricity bills, it's more than worth it.
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