[Greenbuilding] is it ever sensible to use PV to heat water?

[Steven Tjiang]

Systems connected to the grid can store energy......pump water uphill into
a reservoir.

I have heard the stability of our existing grid under massive PV generation
is more of a problem....but like I said that's a good problem to have.

---- Steve (KZ6LSD)


On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 11:37 AM, Reuben Deumling <9watts at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> On Fri, Mar 23, 2012 at 11:30 AM, Steven Tjiang <steve at tjiang.org> wrote:
>
>> Reuben
>>
>> You use the excess PV generation from the summer to heat the water in the
>> winter.
>>
> No, you don't. The grid is not a battery, as much as folks like to think
> of it that way.
>
> The excess PV generated watts I (may) pump in during the summer are
> consumed in seconds by someone else (CA air conditioner most likely). The
> watts I (may) want to power the heat pump six months later come from coal
> plants in Wyoming, (or wind turbines or dams on the Columbia).
>
>
>
>>  It's not economical to oversize a solar thermal system.
>>
> I think most solar thermal systems are vastly oversized relative to the
> conceivable/actual demand for domestic hot water.
>
>>
>>  But SF bay area is more sunny than NW.
>>
> Yes.
>
>
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