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... There is not enough Lithium mined on the planet to build the batteries necessary for the storage a state like California would need.
People are presently breaking their backs trying to get more mines, refineries and recycling plants going, so to me, at this point, shortages don't seem like a very serious concern. More like a distraction.

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I hope Aptera has a future. I can think of no other car that better represents the term "efficiency".

 
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One of the biggest problems here in the US for solar & wind electric generation is our national transmission grid and how different grids tie together. This is a good article about these problems.

https://www.canarymedia.com/article...us-power-grid-a-challenge-for-2023-and-beyond

I'm afraid it's the biggest one, and nobody wants to put a real number on it. It seems that the public wants to buy new clean power, and have fossil fuel reliability, but only at a certain investment level. Trying to sort out who pays for what part will be a long process.

from the article:
What’s more, the LBNL study found that the costs of grid upgrades have soared. Five years ago, the upgrades needed to connect a new project to the grid usually cost less than 10 percent of a project’s overall price tag. Now that’s grown to as much as 50 to 100 percent of the project cost.

There are many reasons for these growing delays and rising costs, but the most fundamental one is that the grid isn’t being expanded quickly enough to absorb the massive growth in clean energy projects. New transmission lines can cost billions of dollars, and arguments between utilities and state regulators over how to allocate and share the costs of those projects make for a fraught and contentious process that can often stymie ambitious expansions.

If we (Americans) make enough bad decisions for long enough, we will be forced to do something we don't want as a society. Me, I'm thinking about going off-grid. I'm not sure I want my personal power reliability tied to political winds driven by shaky logic.
 
JA Solar is a pretty big Chinese company making solar panels and they'll be building a plant in Arizona.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JA_Solar_Holdings
https://www.azcommerce.com/news-eve...lar-module-manufacturing-facility-in-phoenix/
When Tesla builds a car plant in China (a few years ago), and China builds a solar plant in Arizona, isn't that great news?
That's good news. TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co) is building some plants in Arizona and I I believe some battery manufacturers are building plants there too.
 
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And:

https://www.nationalchickencouncil....d-livestock-1965-to-estimated-2012-in-pounds/
1200px-KFC_logo.svg.png
Tragic.
Utterly tragic.
Maybe we should all go vega...........
Never mind.
 
Efficiency in PV is not that important. If PV's were 100% efficient then the temperature of the panel supports underneath would plunge to absolute zero and destroy themselves.
Well, except for the heat transfer of the air flowing around them...
 
I am an avowed solar panel and electric car booster. I would give a car with cameras instead of mirrors an awfully hairy eyeball. Especially to get a mile of range. You can pick up 10x that by just being a little easier on the accelerator off the line. If they were getting me 25-50 miles I might think about it.

I've also more or less done the math that @jderimig did above. For regular car travel, solar panels are way better on your rooftop than on your car. It's really hard to get a meaningful difference in range as noted above. I recognize that this calculation is different for renters and for people going far away from an electrical outlet.
I especially agree with your second paragraph after over 8 years of experience.
 
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Musing:
I wonder if there is such a thing as fast charging an EV via rooftop solar/battery combo instead of charging from the grid?
Power requirements?
Enough energy from solar to power both home and EV?
Cuz you can put way more solar panels on a roof than on a cars' roof, trunk and hood.
Zero greenhouse emissions from the vehicle.
Zero greenhouse emissions from the electrical generation.
End of musing.
 
Musing:
I wonder if there is such a thing as fast charging an EV via rooftop solar/battery combo instead of charging from the grid?
Power requirements?
Enough energy from solar to power both home and EV?
Cuz you can put way more solar panels on a roof than on a cars' roof, trunk and hood.
Zero greenhouse emissions from the vehicle.
Zero greenhouse emissions from the electrical generation.
End of musing.
The only one I know of is from Tesla but I think it's also connected, not 100% solar. They say it's in their plans to make more, but just aren't there yet.

https://www.torquenews.com/14335/teslas-gigantic-solar-powered-super-charger-station
The Tesla powerwall (and alternatives) is for charging both a car and a house (from solar and/or the grid), but there is no use for fast DC at a house (too expensive for too little benefit), 240VAC is plenty sufficient.
 
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I didn't know whether to post this under wind or solar as it is both. A very interesting concept.


Fine here. For anything wind turbine only, you can post in the “aerodynamics" thread. The thread I had started specific to wind power has been locked. Or maybe you can try starting a new thread. Who knows what would happen. I'd use it.

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Here's a recent guide to home solar systems:

https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/solar-panels-for-home
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A third of Australian houses have solar?!?

 
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