There are plenty of people making enough power just from solar panels on their roof.
It doesn’t work everywhere of course and requires some form of storage or offsetting by powering the grid during the day.
It doesn’t work everywhere of course and requires some form of storage or offsetting by powering the grid during the day.
Are people obliged to eat at restaurants because it supports the local economy as opposed to buying from the grocery store and preparing their own meals at home?
But you’re going to pay either way. And you still benefit. That’s ok. If you can afford to have a fully self-sufficient power system you can probably afford the incidental costs associated with any other imposed utilities fees.
There is a reason why people pay taxes for things they think they don’t need/use. Tax dollars (not enough) go to schools regardless of if you have children who use the schools or not. That’s okay too. While the connection may not be 100% A to B on your returned value for the school you still exist in the society which stands to benefit from them and it still impacts you.
You are also still supporting your local economy (potentially to a lesser degree depending on where you buy the groceries) if you make food at home. It’s not an all-or-nothing proposition here.
Edit: I take this back. It depends at least on where you live
It's quite possible for someone to produce enough energy for their regular use from rooftop solar, even if they drive an EV and don't have natural gas. If they're using an electric resistive furnace to heat a large, poorly-insulated house and have a small solar installation that's partially shaded by trees and they drive an EV long distances on a regular basis, then no, they probably aren't going to break even.
How much battery storage do you have? What does that cost these days?
In the meantime, it behooves myself and others for battery storage to be installed in places where the grid is far dirtier (remote communities, islands) where storage avoids burning diesel or bunker fuel (versus cleaner but not zero carbon natural gas).
(your comment history looks like you’re pro nuclear/anti renewables, so while I hope my comment was informative, I’m not interested in arguing the merits of net metering, rooftop solar, or nuclear vs renewables).
It is probably a bit more clear to most people to just say that you produce more power than you use, rather than say you are fully self sufficient.
>...your comment history looks like you’re pro nuclear/anti renewables,
There is no need to misrepresent my comments.
Keep in mind, the top three states by population are California, Texas, and Florida. Heat pumps can meet the needs of housing in these climates, alongside rooftop solar. Produce where you consume when able.