OKLO is not the kind of people you want doing nuclear plants.
volvolugnut
I'm waiting for this... (solar power system)
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volvolugnut
- Posts: 6502
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The Fleet:
Volvo: 2001 V70 T5, 1986 244DL, 1983 245DL, 1975 245DL, 1959 PV544, multiple Volvo parts cars.
Mercedes: 2001 E320, 1973 280, 1974 280C, 1989 300E, 1988 300TE, 1979 300TD, parts cars.
2009 Smart Passion
Ford: 1977 F350, 1964 F150 (2), 1938 Tudor Sedan
Farmall tractors: 1956 400 Diesel, 1946 A
John Deere 214 lawn tractor about 1977 model
And others.
Volvo: 2001 V70 T5, 1986 244DL, 1983 245DL, 1975 245DL, 1959 PV544, multiple Volvo parts cars.
Mercedes: 2001 E320, 1973 280, 1974 280C, 1989 300E, 1988 300TE, 1979 300TD, parts cars.
2009 Smart Passion
Ford: 1977 F350, 1964 F150 (2), 1938 Tudor Sedan
Farmall tractors: 1956 400 Diesel, 1946 A
John Deere 214 lawn tractor about 1977 model
And others.
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abscate
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Obviously we select the area by each State sending one person to DC to walk a continuous walk with the first state person to drop below the metric of speed to be chosen, followed by counties in that State until we have a democratically chosen area.
The Electrilottery by Stephen King
Empty Nester
A Captain in a Sea of Estrogen
1999-V70-T5M56 2005-V70-M56 1999-S70 VW T4 XC90-in-Red
Link to Maintenance record thread
A Captain in a Sea of Estrogen
1999-V70-T5M56 2005-V70-M56 1999-S70 VW T4 XC90-in-Red
Link to Maintenance record thread
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abscate
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Here’s my struggle with solar.
Our power usage on Long Island is about 18 kWhr per day , at our rates my bills are a low of 100 a month, and two months of 350-400 in a bad heat wave in summer. Averaging high to 250 per month, I get a total electric bill of $3000 per year
20kW installed solar is 60k, and 40k with subsidies on my research.
Unless I can zero interest finance thst capital cost, my SP500 return rate on that cap is $4000 , more than my electric bill.
Our power usage on Long Island is about 18 kWhr per day , at our rates my bills are a low of 100 a month, and two months of 350-400 in a bad heat wave in summer. Averaging high to 250 per month, I get a total electric bill of $3000 per year
20kW installed solar is 60k, and 40k with subsidies on my research.
Unless I can zero interest finance thst capital cost, my SP500 return rate on that cap is $4000 , more than my electric bill.
Empty Nester
A Captain in a Sea of Estrogen
1999-V70-T5M56 2005-V70-M56 1999-S70 VW T4 XC90-in-Red
Link to Maintenance record thread
A Captain in a Sea of Estrogen
1999-V70-T5M56 2005-V70-M56 1999-S70 VW T4 XC90-in-Red
Link to Maintenance record thread
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matthew1
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Needs to be $2k. Plug n play, each panel comes with a stand and a cable, and that's it.
Steve Jobs rolled back into Apple in 1998 and slashed and cut everything to the bone. Look at the 1997 product matrix, it was a raging mess. Beige towers, beige desktops, laser printers, inkjet printers, monitors, and I can't remember what else. Michael Dell's advice at the time: dissolve the company and return the money to shareholders. I'm not kidding, look it up.
Jobs slashed all of it, threw it into the trash. By 1999 it was just four products:
Then we all saw the biggest juggernaut march of wealth over the next 19 years, a march all the way up to the world's most valuable company. Almost bankrupt to #1 in the world. That's the message of simplification.
Solar is a raging mess right now with power company-adjacent scams and 10+ year loans, with oceans of fine print about how you are forced to sell power back to the power company at low rates, and a thousand other cutouts designed to cheat you out of money.
The world will beat a path to the man's door who strips all that sh!t away and simplifies this to a matrix a twelve year old can understand. Mark my words.
Simplification works.
Steve Jobs rolled back into Apple in 1998 and slashed and cut everything to the bone. Look at the 1997 product matrix, it was a raging mess. Beige towers, beige desktops, laser printers, inkjet printers, monitors, and I can't remember what else. Michael Dell's advice at the time: dissolve the company and return the money to shareholders. I'm not kidding, look it up.
Jobs slashed all of it, threw it into the trash. By 1999 it was just four products:
- macmatrix.png (14.62 KiB) Viewed 2586 times
Then we all saw the biggest juggernaut march of wealth over the next 19 years, a march all the way up to the world's most valuable company. Almost bankrupt to #1 in the world. That's the message of simplification.
Solar is a raging mess right now with power company-adjacent scams and 10+ year loans, with oceans of fine print about how you are forced to sell power back to the power company at low rates, and a thousand other cutouts designed to cheat you out of money.
The world will beat a path to the man's door who strips all that sh!t away and simplifies this to a matrix a twelve year old can understand. Mark my words.
Simplification works.
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1998 V70, no dash lights on
1997 850 T5 [gone] w/ MSD ignition coil, Hallman manual boost controller, injectors, R bumper, OMP strut brace
2004 V70 R [gone]
How to Thank someone for their post
Also -> Amazon link. Click that when you go to buy something on Amazon and MVS gets a cut!
1998 V70, no dash lights on
1997 850 T5 [gone] w/ MSD ignition coil, Hallman manual boost controller, injectors, R bumper, OMP strut brace
2004 V70 R [gone]
How to Thank someone for their post
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volvolugnut
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Yes, still hard to make a case for home solar based on the money. Most people want a pay off in a few years.abscate wrote: 23 Apr 2026, 23:45 Here’s my struggle with solar.
Our power usage on Long Island is about 18 kWhr per day , at our rates my bills are a low of 100 a month, and two months of 350-400 in a bad heat wave in summer. Averaging high to 250 per month, I get a total electric bill of $3000 per year
20kW installed solar is 60k, and 40k with subsidies on my research.
Unless I can zero interest finance thst capital cost, my SP500 return rate on that cap is $4000 , more than my electric bill.
Ground source heat pumps have the same problem. Your monthly operating cast can go near zero, but still it takes many years to recover the initial cost.
vovlolugnut
The Fleet:
Volvo: 2001 V70 T5, 1986 244DL, 1983 245DL, 1975 245DL, 1959 PV544, multiple Volvo parts cars.
Mercedes: 2001 E320, 1973 280, 1974 280C, 1989 300E, 1988 300TE, 1979 300TD, parts cars.
2009 Smart Passion
Ford: 1977 F350, 1964 F150 (2), 1938 Tudor Sedan
Farmall tractors: 1956 400 Diesel, 1946 A
John Deere 214 lawn tractor about 1977 model
And others.
Volvo: 2001 V70 T5, 1986 244DL, 1983 245DL, 1975 245DL, 1959 PV544, multiple Volvo parts cars.
Mercedes: 2001 E320, 1973 280, 1974 280C, 1989 300E, 1988 300TE, 1979 300TD, parts cars.
2009 Smart Passion
Ford: 1977 F350, 1964 F150 (2), 1938 Tudor Sedan
Farmall tractors: 1956 400 Diesel, 1946 A
John Deere 214 lawn tractor about 1977 model
And others.
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matthew1
- Site Admin
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- Joined: 14 Sep 2002, 11:03
- Year and Model: 850 T5, 1997
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Clarification on my rant: I know it's apples-oranges in my above post regarding Apple. One is a company managing its products, and the other is a diverse industry with countless products trying to work with hundreds of different utilities. My point is that one new company needs to form a simple product matrix:matthew1 wrote: 24 Apr 2026, 07:56 Solar is a raging mess right now with power company-adjacent scams and 10+ year loans, with oceans of fine print about how you are forced to sell power back to the power company at low rates, and a thousand other cutouts designed to cheat you out of money.
small panel
big panel
power unit
cable
Ignore public utilities altogether. That can come later, but for now, forget it. Utility interoperability just gives the homeowner brain damage because people enjoy fine print and surprise bills as much as they enjoy hospital trips.
The small panel is half the length of a large panel so 4 = 1 big, to maintain Lego-like interoperability. Panels snap together and that connection does the same functionality as joining any two panels with a cable. Snap together or cable together. Same thing.
A 4 small panel assembly = 1 large in every respect, including snap. That means you can snap 4 smalls together, then snap that to one large and it'll be a 1:1 physically and connection-ally. (Performance of the small 2x2 will not match the large 1x1 because of slight area loss on the edges of the smalls, probably.)
I'm no solar mathematician so I'll leave the sizing to that group. Maybe the small panels are 12" per edge or maybe they're 3'. Dunno. Doesn't matter, but probably the smalls will need to be small enough to allow shipping with FedEx, maybe USPS, etc. If we get too boutique with large sizing, this whole thing will be relegated to boutique sales. Bad.
Market this gear on the promise of simplicity. That's the "bit" as we called it in the ad agency I worked at 2003-2007 in Seattle. The bit is the thing that makes people buy it. Simplicity is the bit. I could have the marketing hammered out in a month, just give me the product design and two or three metrics about its performance, and each product's cost. Don't need much, because the bit is simplicity.
I'm not running 700-word blocks of text and specs in full page ads in the NYT. That's not how to market this.
There. That's the roadmap for anyone here who wants to change the world. That's the plan. I ask for nothing except 1/10th of 1% of common stock when you go public.
This brainstorm brought to you by my intense dislike of fine print and brain damage, and by my intense like of free energy.
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1998 V70, no dash lights on
1997 850 T5 [gone] w/ MSD ignition coil, Hallman manual boost controller, injectors, R bumper, OMP strut brace
2004 V70 R [gone]
How to Thank someone for their post
Also -> Amazon link. Click that when you go to buy something on Amazon and MVS gets a cut!
1998 V70, no dash lights on
1997 850 T5 [gone] w/ MSD ignition coil, Hallman manual boost controller, injectors, R bumper, OMP strut brace
2004 V70 R [gone]
How to Thank someone for their post
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volvolugnut
- Posts: 6502
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- Year and Model: 2001 V70
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Current solar panels are made to connect to the power grid in some manner. They also must meet safety and electrical design codes.
If your idea could work without connection to the grid, the concept would be easier to install.
I am not sure how you can ignore the safety and electric codes.
Maybe spend lots of dollars on changing laws. The new nuclear power industry seems to be doing this.
volvolugnut
If your idea could work without connection to the grid, the concept would be easier to install.
I am not sure how you can ignore the safety and electric codes.
Maybe spend lots of dollars on changing laws. The new nuclear power industry seems to be doing this.
volvolugnut
The Fleet:
Volvo: 2001 V70 T5, 1986 244DL, 1983 245DL, 1975 245DL, 1959 PV544, multiple Volvo parts cars.
Mercedes: 2001 E320, 1973 280, 1974 280C, 1989 300E, 1988 300TE, 1979 300TD, parts cars.
2009 Smart Passion
Ford: 1977 F350, 1964 F150 (2), 1938 Tudor Sedan
Farmall tractors: 1956 400 Diesel, 1946 A
John Deere 214 lawn tractor about 1977 model
And others.
Volvo: 2001 V70 T5, 1986 244DL, 1983 245DL, 1975 245DL, 1959 PV544, multiple Volvo parts cars.
Mercedes: 2001 E320, 1973 280, 1974 280C, 1989 300E, 1988 300TE, 1979 300TD, parts cars.
2009 Smart Passion
Ford: 1977 F350, 1964 F150 (2), 1938 Tudor Sedan
Farmall tractors: 1956 400 Diesel, 1946 A
John Deere 214 lawn tractor about 1977 model
And others.
-
matthew1
- Site Admin
- Posts: 14801
- Joined: 14 Sep 2002, 11:03
- Year and Model: 850 T5, 1997
- Location: Denver, Colorado, US
- Has thanked: 2856 times
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- Contact:
It's so simple and straightforward it's probably illegal, I agree.
Like collecting rainwater. It's illegal in many places in the US.
But the analogy is a good one. Collect rainwater, store it, use it for whatever you need to on your property. Put aside the very strange (bordering on what I'd say is "downright unnerving") rules against collecting rainwater for a second. If we can put that aside, the analogy is pretty good because you don't put collected water back into the city's water system. It's yours. Water your lawn, spray the old lady next door, wash your car, etc. Free water.
Another analogy is using a generator on your property (which you do). Nobody needs to or wants to connect their generator to the grid, and nobody needs to connect solar generation to the grid. Some do, and some make money doing it, and good for them. But I actually can't believe that connecting to the grid for solar generation is the rule and not the exception.
The reason for my strong feelings on this was born on the day I got a solar panel solicitor at my door five or six years ago. I couldn't believe how complicated it was. Contracts, legal, fine print, zoning regulations/ordinances, loans... and then you have to deal with all the BS when you sell the house that I've written earlier in this thread. Looking at the paperwork he left me with... the whole offer was so complicated I needed a cardiologist and a lawyer.
Franz Kafka couldn't have come up with a bigger mess.
I'm absolutely not saying my product would not need to be UL certified or that installation of the power unit wouldn't require an electrician. I'm saying drop the
1) Rube Goldberg-esque connection to the grid and all the second order legal/contractual effects that produces
2) insane $30k+ installs... make it an additive product – start with one $1000 panel/power unit combo if you want, add $100 additional panels at your leisure
If it's not for you, sell it. I like experimenting with stuff to know if it's for me or not. I'd buy the $1k combo of my product, lay the panel down in my backyard for a couple days, then see how much juice that gives me. Low barrier to entry.
The way it is now is that the bar is stratospherically high. I don't have $30k for solar, and I don't like loans (and fine print, and city inspectors, and... etc.)
Like collecting rainwater. It's illegal in many places in the US.
But the analogy is a good one. Collect rainwater, store it, use it for whatever you need to on your property. Put aside the very strange (bordering on what I'd say is "downright unnerving") rules against collecting rainwater for a second. If we can put that aside, the analogy is pretty good because you don't put collected water back into the city's water system. It's yours. Water your lawn, spray the old lady next door, wash your car, etc. Free water.
Another analogy is using a generator on your property (which you do). Nobody needs to or wants to connect their generator to the grid, and nobody needs to connect solar generation to the grid. Some do, and some make money doing it, and good for them. But I actually can't believe that connecting to the grid for solar generation is the rule and not the exception.
The reason for my strong feelings on this was born on the day I got a solar panel solicitor at my door five or six years ago. I couldn't believe how complicated it was. Contracts, legal, fine print, zoning regulations/ordinances, loans... and then you have to deal with all the BS when you sell the house that I've written earlier in this thread. Looking at the paperwork he left me with... the whole offer was so complicated I needed a cardiologist and a lawyer.
Franz Kafka couldn't have come up with a bigger mess.
I'm absolutely not saying my product would not need to be UL certified or that installation of the power unit wouldn't require an electrician. I'm saying drop the
1) Rube Goldberg-esque connection to the grid and all the second order legal/contractual effects that produces
2) insane $30k+ installs... make it an additive product – start with one $1000 panel/power unit combo if you want, add $100 additional panels at your leisure
If it's not for you, sell it. I like experimenting with stuff to know if it's for me or not. I'd buy the $1k combo of my product, lay the panel down in my backyard for a couple days, then see how much juice that gives me. Low barrier to entry.
The way it is now is that the bar is stratospherically high. I don't have $30k for solar, and I don't like loans (and fine print, and city inspectors, and... etc.)
Help keep MVS on the web -> click sponsors' links here on MVS when you buy from them.
Also -> Amazon link. Click that when you go to buy something on Amazon and MVS gets a cut!
1998 V70, no dash lights on
1997 850 T5 [gone] w/ MSD ignition coil, Hallman manual boost controller, injectors, R bumper, OMP strut brace
2004 V70 R [gone]
How to Thank someone for their post
Also -> Amazon link. Click that when you go to buy something on Amazon and MVS gets a cut!
1998 V70, no dash lights on
1997 850 T5 [gone] w/ MSD ignition coil, Hallman manual boost controller, injectors, R bumper, OMP strut brace
2004 V70 R [gone]
How to Thank someone for their post
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volvolugnut
- Posts: 6502
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- Year and Model: 2001 V70
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Matt, Are you aware of these type Plug and Play solar power systems?
https://www.amazon.com/PluggedSolar-150 ... 149&sr=8-6
They claim to be utility approved, but I don't know what that means.
The reviews are good. Various sizes available.
volvolugnut
https://www.amazon.com/PluggedSolar-150 ... 149&sr=8-6
They claim to be utility approved, but I don't know what that means.
The reviews are good. Various sizes available.
volvolugnut
The Fleet:
Volvo: 2001 V70 T5, 1986 244DL, 1983 245DL, 1975 245DL, 1959 PV544, multiple Volvo parts cars.
Mercedes: 2001 E320, 1973 280, 1974 280C, 1989 300E, 1988 300TE, 1979 300TD, parts cars.
2009 Smart Passion
Ford: 1977 F350, 1964 F150 (2), 1938 Tudor Sedan
Farmall tractors: 1956 400 Diesel, 1946 A
John Deere 214 lawn tractor about 1977 model
And others.
Volvo: 2001 V70 T5, 1986 244DL, 1983 245DL, 1975 245DL, 1959 PV544, multiple Volvo parts cars.
Mercedes: 2001 E320, 1973 280, 1974 280C, 1989 300E, 1988 300TE, 1979 300TD, parts cars.
2009 Smart Passion
Ford: 1977 F350, 1964 F150 (2), 1938 Tudor Sedan
Farmall tractors: 1956 400 Diesel, 1946 A
John Deere 214 lawn tractor about 1977 model
And others.
-
matthew1
- Site Admin
- Posts: 14801
- Joined: 14 Sep 2002, 11:03
- Year and Model: 850 T5, 1997
- Location: Denver, Colorado, US
- Has thanked: 2856 times
- Been thanked: 1332 times
- Contact:
^ Yea now that's kinda close to what I'm talking about. (The Chinese are reading MVS and stealing my ideas!!!!!)
Help keep MVS on the web -> click sponsors' links here on MVS when you buy from them.
Also -> Amazon link. Click that when you go to buy something on Amazon and MVS gets a cut!
1998 V70, no dash lights on
1997 850 T5 [gone] w/ MSD ignition coil, Hallman manual boost controller, injectors, R bumper, OMP strut brace
2004 V70 R [gone]
How to Thank someone for their post
Also -> Amazon link. Click that when you go to buy something on Amazon and MVS gets a cut!
1998 V70, no dash lights on
1997 850 T5 [gone] w/ MSD ignition coil, Hallman manual boost controller, injectors, R bumper, OMP strut brace
2004 V70 R [gone]
How to Thank someone for their post