Let's do this.
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@pfriedma That's what I'm saying,you'd need to have a cutover interlock at the breaker box, AND you can't just plug panels into any random outlet (since you would be bypassing circuit protection). I know that much from living someplace where my neighbor generated all the power for like 3 households and dealing with that, and still have capacity left over and still had a cutover to sell back power to the electric co-op.
Or is this just explaining modular solar badly?
@BalooUriza @pfriedma @f4grx @balkonsolar
A grid-tied solar PV inverter isn't like a gas generator. It follows the grid waveform and will cut out within one cycle if the grid is lost. Unplugging the inverter, the plug is dead before the pins are exposed to be touched.At 230V, 800W (the German limit for plugin solar) is ~3.5A. The German electrical regulator has deemed that a typical 16A power circuit wired in 1.5 sq.mm. cable will still be safe with 3.5A of current fed from the "wrong end".
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@TechConnectify Amazing video. Absolute aces all around. Some meandering thoughts:
1- The starting discussion around Midwestern values around frugality and investing wisely kept echoing as a corollary of the Vimes Boots Theory of Socieoeconomic Unfairness that I expected it to get mentioned. I'm assuming you know what that is, but that leads right into my next thought...
2- Building off your statement "I kind of already assumed everyone knew what we were trying to do", plainly stating assumptions is one of the most useful tools for solving problems I have found in the past ten years. My day job is supporting some niche technology infrastructure, and when I get pulled into a problem it's because things are seriously, seriously weird. I've had multiple occasions where I've "walked the stack" out loud, and someone else chimed in to correct some component of pile which led to figuring out what was wrong and how to solve it.
I think there's a more advanced theory of mind issue around understanding and addressing the inherent assumptions other people make. I have no idea how that realization will help make better videos, but I'm excited to see it happen.
2a- While I agree that there's a massive capitalist interest in misleading people, my gut says the bigger challenge is people just... not reexamining assumptions that are years or decades out-of-date. Either because it's cognitively expensive (taking time and mental focus off of day-to-day work, which is also an opportunity capitalist interests are happy to exploit), or because they straight up lack the tools to approach the subject. Maybe that's wrong, and fraud/deception are really the impetus behind wasting time and money on disposable energy.
But I really think the Overestimate Short Term & Underestimate Long Term problem does a lot more heavy lifting in that regard. Humans in survival mode (as so many of us have been for the past 10-40 years) need to focus on the short term, and thinking about the long term is an unaffordable luxury.
3- Tangentially related to cognitive expense/load, I process information better with my eyes than my ears. Showing more of the math when you were running the numbers would have made that easier for me to grasp and process.
Yes, Excel is one of my most-used applications of all time. How did you know?
4- There was a dark, gallows laugh when you talked about the First Amendment rights and the press being declared enemies of the people as Donald Trump is racistly arresting four black journalists. (I'm not laughing because it's funny, I'm laughing because it's an easier emotional outlet than crying)
5- We've lost so much from caring too much about what billionaires and cult leaders say, and caring too little for our own neighbors. I don't know how we solve the big problem. I'll do my part with my skills, like the repair café I'm volunteering at next weekend. We need to build more, better fucking community, damnit.
(sorry for spammy edit/reposting. markdown is being an asshole with list formating)
@drsbaitso @TechConnectify people now have the tools so they don't need to think anymore.
They are just too lazy to ask the question.
I am not using AI here to be lazy and correct you with slop. I just want to show that the answer is so obvious it is strongly baked into the probability machine.
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I'm just at the start section and all of the benefits of solar bits I'm going "OK, this video isn't for me, it's an education piece for the dumb portion of the Americans and the UK Reform voters" but looks like I really need to watch the rest!
@hittitezombie @TechConnectify yes you do
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify I enjoyed this piece.
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@cwilcox808 @mattesilver @TechConnectify that’s not universally true, though!
There’s a German electrician working on PV sites who’s documenting his attempts to repair a certain type of PV panel where the backside laminates deteriorate after only a few years… https://youtu.be/D-vWFO0gnUk to the point of complete loss of power generation because the isolation breaks down.
@vogelchr @cwilcox808 @mattesilver @TechConnectify those are just badly built solar panels, not an inherent problem with the technology
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@techindepth27 @adlerweb @janeq
Makertube seems good indeed. I've not much experience with it so far, but helpful mods, limit of (I think) 2gb per day upload and lives also supported. Accepted my regular video file type.@elliek @techindepth27 @adlerweb @janeq yeah I crosspost my youtube channel to makertube, it’s great. It also supports automatic mirroring from youtube, so I don’t even have to think about it most of the time, it just happens.
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify bravo
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify I've followed your channel for a while now and I have to say that this is probably your best video so far! From a European perspective it makes me very happy to hear people speak out about what's happening in your country. Thank you!
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify mate this might be your magnum opus and you didn’t even mention the refrigeration cycle ONCE
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify I need you to know every time I put on your videos, my fiance says "Oh is that dishwasher man? I recognise his dulcet tones".
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@TechConnectify I still think it's absolutely crazy how cheap solar panels are
I got my 500w panels, new and unused, for 50-60 a piece, without buying in bulk.
That's cheaper than standard plywood. It's literally CHEAPER to build a house out of SOLAR PANELS than it is to build out of low grade PLYWOOD.
They've gone up a little bit in price since but not much, you can still get 500w panels for around 70 euros a piece, example here: https://www.solar-outlet.nl/zonnepanelen/
@anthropy @TechConnectify The panels themselves are yeah, but due to decisions in politics we do face the fact the energy they produce can become worthless without a battery or a way to control them. So even though I got solar panels already I need to look into a several thousand euro investment to not pay for them being there that is very unlikely to pay back soon...
There is environmental reasons why I will, money just ain't everything with solar in The Netherlands at the moment.
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@BalooUriza @ysbreker @TechConnectify no, thats Aging wheels, but they're friends. He made an appearance in the Brown video and Alec participated in a recent Aging Wheels (electric towing) video too.
@f4grx @BalooUriza @ysbreker @TechConnectify I think they meant the person who bought the tower coda, but iirc that was going to california, so no
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TL;DW
how does the solar panel and battery deterioration affect the calculations? The panels might las 25 years but definitely they don't stay as efficient.
Real data from the field tells us that 25 years is a low-ball conservative number. The oldest in continuous operation PV plant still running on the panels installed over 40 years ago still operates at well over 80% of fresh efficiency.
And PV tech has only gotten better and more durable.
Modern PV panels are sold with warranties of 30 years or longer on maintaining over 80% of their fresh conversion efficiency.
So yes, it's been accounted for.
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify holy shit it is so good to hear this from you. I feel like your politics have always been so clear but hearing you say these things so clearly is still like the opposite of gaslighting. It feels so obvious to me how bad things are getting, and hearing someone whose other opinions I trust saying this with their full chest is lifegiving. Thank you.
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify truly an excellent piece. many thanks for it.
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TL;DW
how does the solar panel and battery deterioration affect the calculations? The panels might las 25 years but definitely they don't stay as efficient.
@mattesilver @TechConnectify The most recent figues show that panels that were installed in the 80's are still at around 80% efficiency – that's after 40 years of use.
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify I am a longtime follower who also always felt a special connection. Not only because of the interest in technology but because I also own a NeXT shirt (and the computer with which it came).
You open so many people’s eyes. This time it’s more important than ever. Even if it seems long, every minute of the video should be watched. All the way.
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify During the energy crisis of the 70s Sweden went all-in on nuclear. During that period, home owners were told/incentivised (unsure) that they should also throw out their oil/coal/wood furnaces and go all-electric since it was and was going to be _so_ much cheaper. We built out a lot of electrical direct heating back then.
This has given us an amazing situation now. We're already big on heat pumps, giving us 4-5 times better efficiency compared to direct heating, and going solar is just to hook it all up since everyting is already electric.
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Let's do this.
@TechConnectify Looking in from Europe, all I can say is well said. I hope your words can fuel the change the US and the world needs. How can it be that we are able to pump billions into things like border protection, thugs, "AI"-Bullshit, but people can't get together and spend that money on energy independence ONCE?! It's maddening and so good to hear it articulated like this.
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@anthropy @TechConnectify The panels themselves are yeah, but due to decisions in politics we do face the fact the energy they produce can become worthless without a battery or a way to control them. So even though I got solar panels already I need to look into a several thousand euro investment to not pay for them being there that is very unlikely to pay back soon...
There is environmental reasons why I will, money just ain't everything with solar in The Netherlands at the moment.
@maruno @TechConnectify I built my own 20kWh + 5kW off grid setup, batteries included, for about 2000 euros.
LFP cells cost about 40-100 per kWh, you just have to add a BMS, inverter and some cables.
The expensive part is people. Same goes for the panels; 5kw of panels is 500€, but getting them put on your roof and cabled and all that costs (sometimes tens of) thousands, because there aren't a lot of people who do it and they want a high profit margin.
Happy to show you how to do it though
