Every man his own power station is really, really dumb. Why do these people feel the need to greenwash everything they do? Centralized power generation is the only tehcnology that make any sense. Having millions of these goofballs generating electricity, and then expecting the grid operators to soak up what they can't use (and refuse to store using batteries they must pay for) is absurd and I object strongly to any regulations that allow these morons to screw up and increase the cost of my electricity. And if it's so practical, why do these thieves demand subsidies. I woudn't pay them one red cent to mess up my grid operations. These people are simply greedy assholes, using "enviromental concern" as a cover.

I think the idea of everyone producing as much engery as possible via solar/geo/wind at their homes is the only way to go. We will not escape a centralized power station/grid design completely. However, we can escape the chains that is fossil fuel reliance for EVERY car/truck/bus/train/etc. You could offset the national reliance on fossile fuels significantly by using electric vehicles for all possible uses. Then we would only be using oil for those technologies that have no alternative YET, like aircraft, cargo trains, ships. Then our own reserves would last us theoretically twice as long.

If everyone could power their own electric car for 90% of their commuting using home based solar or wind grid-tie systems, those Centralized power plants could theoretically save significantly by having to burn less coal/oil to create the power, thus saving more fossil fuels.

Electric cars will be here in force within a few years. They are expensive right now, well duh. It's new territory for so many uses of the technology. Check out Fisker Automotive, or HST Automotive, or Tesla Motors.

Current ranges of 200+ miles, and faster than some of the boldest supercars of your imagination for comparable prices. And they are GREEN! You could charge it from your home power plant, or grid tie system, and theoretically produce all the electricity you need for your home and car.


"Short of this it would be reasonable to allow power companies to charge a small flat rate for grid maintenance.
"

That is already the setup with Entergy power company, the minimum bill for a grid-tie solar/wind home system is $8/month as a system maintenance fee. Perfectly acceptable if you ask me. They also use a net-metering method where they pay retail rates for extra power you produce/sell back to them.

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In today's world, man is eager to travel and discover all of nature’s hidden treasures and utilize them for the fulfillment of his or her basic requirements. A solar powered car similarly gets it's much needed fuel from the energy of sunlight.