EV’s are becoming mainstream

[Dan McCosh]

The issue with mass transit and related transportation issues is that generally they add to existing systems, rarely if ever do they displace them.

[L.W. Baxter]

We are exploring a rooftop solar array at our place. Early feedback is that it won't be enough to power an EV. I was curious if a plug-in hybrid was gonna be an option. Maybe if we pull of our plan to develop a family compound, the acreage would allow us to have a freestanding array, or the several outbuildings envisioned will have enough rooftop space...

basically, anyone with experience will tell you, don't put it on your roof.

i kind of like this idea, as seen on fb marketplace. a moveable array on a trailer. take it with you when you move.

drag it around, reorient seasonally, etc.

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like they say with old trailer boats, "heck, the trailer is worth more than that..." even when it's not...

[Ted Hoppe]

The issue with mass transit and related transportation issues is that generally they add to existing systems, rarely if ever do they displace them.

Most bureaucrats and nearly all politicians are not visionaries. Many are lawyers who are risk adverse. When given a choice they will defer or cluge on to existing systems that can not be upgraded in a timely manner.

California is struggling with this state wide high speed rail line even with dominate democratic state governments for decades supporting the build and a trillion dollars worth of funding.
Yet they look like clowns.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/09/u...-politics.html

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[David G]

basically, anyone with experience will tell you, don't put it on your roof.

On a basic 50 X 100 urban lot, where every square foot is at a premium and spoken for several times over... the roof is the only feasible option. So lots of folks go that route. But yes, in order to achieve our target, it may need to wait for a time when we have acreage. But we haven't talked to all the potential suppliers yet. Maybe someone will have a bright idea...

[Joe (SoCal)]

When I lived back east I used mass transportation all the time. When I lived in Hoboken, then Jersey City, then NYC I didn't even own a car. I rode my bicycle, skateboard, subway or just walking. It was great I had one key, just my apartment key.

When I first moved up to Cold Spring in the Hudson Valley, I took The Hudson River Line train to Grand Central five days a week to work. Our first place was in the village and I could walk to the train so we didn't need a car. Eventually when we moved up to a bigger house outside of the village we got a car and I got a cheep station car to drive the 6 miles down to the train station.

NOW, that I live in SoCal there is almost no public transit, aside from the trolly's that run the beach cities, or the Shorline Train that runs from LA to San Diego but it no where near where I live. So we have high MPG Vespa's and a Tesla to offset fuel and be more efficient. Ah but we also have 4 huge diesel Sprinter vans, and gas burning highly inefficient 22 MPG ford transit connect.

When were in Italy we primarily used the amazing high speed bullet train or ebikes. The only time we rented a car was to go to the beach and Siena Only because there was no trains that when to those place.

I would love it if there were more mass transit, I'm a big fan of train travel.

[Too Little Time]

But I still think electrified light rail is the way to go forward. it could be automated but there are serious safety issues that are rising every day which go beyond the actual operation and function.

If we made the commitment to use more rail and ran lighter rail and street cars off the spurs imagine how the carbon footprint would be reduced and better for the environment; it would be meeting our climate goals in a decade.

There is a lot of data available about the cost and benefits of light rail.

It is not hard to find claims indicating that light rail riding takes twice the time as driving a private car in many places. It is not hard to find claims that operating coast per passenger mile is higher than driving a private car.

It could be that providing private cars to the poor and providing free charging is a more cost effective and a more climate friendly solution.

[sonofswen]

Let's be real...Americans, more than any other country, are addicted to cars. The reasons are many.

[David G]

Let's be real...Americans, more than any other country, are addicted to cars. The reasons are many.

Very true.

And... everything we can do to minimize the impact of that addiction on the rest of the world, and our grandkids would be a step in the right direction. I particularly think mass transit is drastically under-utilized.

[Chip-skiff]

Some issues with rooftop PV— Given your latitude (about 43°N?) the roof must have a southfacing slope and an angle of at least 45°, or the array will be worthless in winter.

Here's our home setup, 4.4 kW, angled for winter, to catch the low sun and also shed snow.



An aspect of pole-mounted arrays is that the shadow they cast on a house can actually reduce the solar input through sun-facing windows. Maybe good in summer, but bad in winter.

I just replaced the grid-tied PV system on our rental house, started up in 2004, with new panels from Enphase, which have built-in mini-inverters that supply AC power, about 2 kW.



The angle is easily adjusted with a handcrank. Not much else in terms of maintenance.

[sonofswen]

Very true.

And... everything we can do to minimize the impact of that addiction on the rest of the world, and our grandkids would be a step in the right direction. I particularly think mass transit is drastically under-utilized.

Yes, so true.
I know a lot of, er some millennials who seen to be veering away from cars, but that may just be the economics of buying and maintaining one. The question is how to get people out of their cars and start using public transportation. All, or most of the old people like me talk the talk but don't walk the walk on getting out of cars. So when all the boomers are gone?? Random thoughts..O and then there are the Auto Manufacturers...Most are getting into producing EV's..and we are back where we started...( think I will go for a drive and think about it

[Joe (SoCal)]

Whoa we just rode up to Silverado. Man it’s super windy up in the canyon, scary Santa Anna windy

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[Too Little Time]

Let's be real...Americans, more than any other country, are addicted to cars. The reasons are many.

The question is how to get people out of their cars and start using public transportation. All, or most of the old people like me talk the talk but don't walk the walk on getting out of cars.

Let's pretend.

How much time and money would you personally be willing to spend each day to use public transportation rather than a personal car? Keeping in mind that you need a car for when public transportation does not meet your needs.

There are certainly a good number of poor people who us public transportation at a large time and monetary cost.

[Chip-skiff]

When we lived in Auckland, New Zealand, we didn't have a car.

The bus system was grand: ran on time, with timely stops at shopping spots and late-night meccas.

Lots of bikes on the streets and pedestrians likewise.

I did our regular shopping with a backpack, and there were quite a few neighbourhood shops (fish, butchery, veg, wine, deli) within a few blocks, where my wife popped in walking back from the Uni.

On rare occasions, I called a cab (before uber and lyft). For excursions, we hired a car.

In all, it was less expensive than keeping an auto, and free of the daily stress of city driving and finding spots to park.

[Gerarddm]

#142, #149:

When we bought our home in ABQ it came with 21 solar panels, for which the previous owner paid $20K for back in 2017... Our monthly bill is the admin fee, between $4 and $5. Like most homes here, we have a flat roof. Our home orients SE, and the panels are somewhat flatter than our latitude basically within 20 degrees to either side of solar south, you won't lose much in production.

[Chip-skiff]

Flat or low angle arrays are fine for the southern tier of states and points south. Naturally, as you go north the normal roof pitch increases, which can work out if it's oriented south.

For non-adjustable arrays, the correct angle for year-round efficiency is roughly equal to the degrees of latitude.

The first solar box cooker design I saw had a flat top, for places near the equator. This one, with a top angled for 3-season use, won a recycling contest.




First prize was $25!

[sonofswen]

Interesting Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAtLTLiqNwg