Odds & Ends And All Things That Don't Fit Anything Else

How about solar panels that are 11 times more efficient that currently available home solar panels? I'm talking a shift from 15% efficiency to 85% efficiency. Imagine what could be done with that technology (supposedly, it won't add much cost to current methods of production. I, for one, would currently need about 24 SunPower panels to run 75% of my electricity needs for my house. (That includes cloudy days, winter, and all that stuff) With the new panels, I'd only need about 3 of them.
The Prius Prime had solar panels that were to add about 2.2 miles of range to the (at the time) 20 miles range the car already had. These new panels would be able to add 24.2 miles of range as long as the battery could hold that much range. This would effectively double the range of the Prius Prime but in theory, If you had a 12 mile or lower commute and parked outside while at work and at home, you would be able to never have to plug in the car as long as it was just used for commutes. Now, wouldn't that be cool?


https://www.designnews.com/electron...orted-using-gold-nanoparticles/44243934459470

Solar panels would have another benefit. They would keep the charge at a higher average level. That equates to longer life.
Of course currently I don't know the cost trade-offs on that. But solar is getting cheaper.

AriLea said:

Solar panels would have another benefit. They would keep the charge at a higher average level. That equates to longer life.
Of course currently I don't know the cost trade-offs on that. But solar is getting cheaper.

Click to expand...

I read through the "payback" time of solar and my personal payback time for a home unit (24 SunPower panels) would have been 5-6 years in Albuquerque through saving on electric bill, utility buyback of power, and incentives. If I equated a vehicle into that equation, I would have saved $320 in diesel fuel per month and THAT would have moved the payback period to about 3 years. Alas, we did not take advantage of the incentives at the time. Besides, I don't have an electric car (yet) and can't get rid of my truck. Plus, I love my truck.

It's interesting to rethink the payback of the panels when you consider gas savings over electric savings. Even now (diesel isn't $4.00/gal any more), it almost makes sense.

Got up to the vacation cabin and received a nice little surprise from Mother Nature!

AriLea said:

Solar panels would have another benefit. They would keep the charge at a higher average level. That equates to longer life.
Of course currently I don't know the cost trade-offs on that. But solar is getting cheaper.

Click to expand...

On our way to Colorado from Missouri we hit what must be the most vast array of wind generators in the continental US. Thousands in every direction from around Hays, KS, well into eastern Colorado....and I mean almost nonstop, and as far as the eye could see [and believe me, you can see a loooong way in that part of the country!] Funny how the "alternative energy" folks don't care about the thousands of raptors killed by the wind generator's blades each year, but scream bloody murder about displacing nake mole rats by a couple hundred yards when a pipeline is ran.

This isn’t anything too noteworthy, but we were driving in Ann Arbor after the pounding Nebraska took from Michigan and I saw an Elio bumper sticker on the car ahead of us. Not enough time to take a pic tho

This is my sticker on my car

Smart Solar Controls that make installation easy:

https://enphase.com/en-us

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4208864-enphase-energy-worlds-1st-battery-less-microgrid

Good investment maybe.

Note: IQ-8 coming out in October is the one to get.

Ok folks... a little blast from the past... The original car for "everyone"... Very interesting video of the Model 'T's production and everyday use in the real world...

https://safeshare.tv/x/ShbgvwazCZ#

Maybe Paul should take a look at the past and the man who started it all for some ideas... just sayin'

_hr

Hey, guess what they're calling a drone now? An Elio

https://www.rotordronemag.com/drone-review-flyability-elios/

It's kind of an interesting article, caught my eye ( )
I wonder if there are going to be any naming battles (hint hint )