got ethical husbandry?

Are you guys prepared for this? How many of you have generators?

California may go dark this summer, and most aren’t ready - Bloomberghttps://apple.news/AL1-qxjXUT_iwzHIV8IloMA


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California will not go dark this summer, maybe smaller communities, in particular wooded (aka more suburban/rural areas that are nicer) may go dark, but most of "major" bay area cities are are practically zero risk for wildfires due to power lines.

That said, a generation is on my to-do list of things to get for my tank, I really want one that is natural gas/propane (not sure if they make one that does both) mostly for the smell, but also if there's a power outage you'll often still have natural gas, and if it's big enough to knock out natural gas hooking up a portable propane tank is the next best thing, plus they typically don't have the maintenance & storage issues of gas powered generations. (at least that's what my research seemed to show)
 
California will not go dark this summer, maybe smaller communities, in particular wooded (aka more suburban/rural areas that are nicer) may go dark, but most of "major" bay area cities are are practically zero risk for wildfires due to power lines.

That said, a generation is on my to-do list of things to get for my tank, I really want one that is natural gas/propane (not sure if they make one that does both) mostly for the smell, but also if there's a power outage you'll often still have natural gas, and if it's big enough to knock out natural gas hooking up a portable propane tank is the next best thing, plus they typically don't have the maintenance & storage issues of gas powered generations. (at least that's what my research seemed to show)
Totally agree the article’s title is misleading since it broadly stated “California”. Still, the more I invest in this hobby, the more uneasy I get about not having a backup generator.


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Just more of a reason to switch to solar with battery backup. The way I look at it, you're not only adding to the value of your house (if you own), but you're also helping the environment, while getting the advantage of a backup for your tank. 3 birds with one very expensive stone.
 
It might be a stone you can't get for some time though. Solar, sure there are tons of companies out there that can do it for you, battery backups, well if you want to go old school with lead-acid then you're good, you want newer Li-ion batteries (e.g. Tesla Powerwall) you might have an issue with wait time, especially the Tesla unit. Seems Tesla cares more about making cars than battery packs for solar.
 
It might be a stone you can't get for some time though. Solar, sure there are tons of companies out there that can do it for you, battery backups, well if you want to go old school with lead-acid then you're good, you want newer Li-ion batteries (e.g. Tesla Powerwall) you might have an issue with wait time, especially the Tesla unit. Seems Tesla cares more about making cars than battery packs for solar.
We got an LG lithium ion battery with our solar system via SunRun (bought thru Costco).
 
i have battery backups and 2 generators (unopened) that I can get - but I would need to get Gas for them. So I would say I half way prepared.
 
i have battery backups and 2 generators (unopened) that I can get - but I would need to get Gas for them. So I would say I half way prepared.
Do you have a outside space with covered area for your generators?


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That's my biggest resistance right now to a battery backup, 1) you're looking at around $7k for 10kWh of storage, 10kWh averages about 400 watts running 24hrs a day, which really isn't much, where as $4-700 can get you a generator that pushes 4000-7000 watts all day.
2) my solar system is relatively small, I just barely sell back more than I use and then only during the really bright months (3 months a year) so there wouldn't be a lot of excess charging my batteries, and they quite literally would only be for a total power outage just so I can use some power at night (reduced load), I'm not on a ToU pricing, and sell back at the same rate that I buy so would not benefit from it financially when the power isn't out.
 
Solar plus 2 Tesla powerwall2’s here. I think with the combination of TOU optimization and PGE rebate I’ve already broken even (or will this year) on the powerwalls, and they will be be saving me extra money now. Along with peace of mind and robust automatic backup. I was an early adopter and took a chance, but I’m glad I did.
 
Does ToU really save you that much money? Looking into it some years back it seemed the "off peak" rates while lower than current rates were only marginally lower, while the peak rates were drastically higher (akin to being in the highest tier). I mean sure if you are in ToU then batteries absolutely save you money, but I'm wondering how that would compare to non-ToU billing.
 
Well I guess it depends a lot on people’s specific situations, but for us it does. For reference, we somehow use a lot of electricity and typically would blow through all the tiers by the end of the first week or so. So for us the biggest difference is that instead of our 24h of usage being the highest tier for most of the month, only certain hours are.

Went went in a stepwise fashion in the same house over the past 6 years or so from standard tiered, to TOU (electric car), to TOU with solar, to TOU with solar plus batteries.

When we went from tiered to TOU, we saved on average about $200/mo right from the start. Similar amount to how much I was saving on gasoline at the time by going electric, charging mostly at work.
 
Wow, hit the highest tier in a week, yeah I definitely can see how batteries can help you out. And if you're charging an electric car I think they have an insanely low price tier on that.
 
Solar plus 2 Tesla powerwall2’s here. I think with the combination of TOU optimization and PGE rebate I’ve already broken even (or will this year) on the powerwalls, and they will be be saving me extra money now. Along with peace of mind and robust automatic backup. I was an early adopter and took a chance, but I’m glad I did.
How do you like the Tesla powerwall? How much did it cost you?
I have good solar systems at my home but hesitated from adding the battery cause I heard it's still not 100% safe especially the Tesla ones...
 
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