ComeOnInMyKitchen.com

Sunshine is not free

Selling Homeowners a Solar Dream

I totally dreamed this up ages ago. And I had the same conversation in my own head. When everyone shows up for their free solar panels, how am I going to pay for them all? We’re talking enormous up front costs. Am I willing to wait a long time to get my money back and make a profit? What will Edison do to try to stop me?

It’s a great idea, but it doesn’t look like these are the guys to get it done. Yeah, the more you make, the cheaper they get. But pyramid scheme? Come on. This thing will sell itself once it gets rolling. Why bog it down. Someone else with a little more legitimacy please step up to the plate.

I say we look at these homeowner contracts as securities. Bundle ‘em up and securitize. They’re essentially low-yield, low-risk bonds. They already do this with home loans. Environmentally-conscious investors could jump all over these. Et voila! There’s your financing. Maybe your local bank or lender will be where you go to get your free solar panel.

Hydrogen Power System Unveiled in Maine - New York Times

Hydrogen Power System Unveiled in Maine - New York Times

Hooray! These guys read my blog (see Energy Freedom). Okay, maybe not. But they think like me.

Honda FCX Fuel Cell Vehicle to Go Into Production - Gizmodo

Honda FCX Fuel Cell Vehicle to Go Into Production - Gizmodo

Kinda what I was thinking of but with natural gas instead of water. Reforming natural gas is the least expensive way to obtain hydrogen currently.

Energy Freedom

Here’s my idea. Someone please build this for me. I want solar panels on my roof. That should be easy enough. But here’s what I want to do with the excess energy I don’t use during the day. Through electrolysis (all I need is running water) I want to create a stockpile of H2. Any power generated from the solar panels over what I can put into my H2 tank would go back into the grid. So when the sun doesn’t shine, I can use my home fuel cell for power. If I run out of H2, I can just take back from the grid. So now I’m thinking, since I have this tank of H2 sitting at my house, what’s to stop me from using it to fill up my fuel-cell-powered car? Heck, I could even reform the natural gas flowing into my house for H2 if I didn’t want to waste water.

solar panels
fuel cells
electrolysis
car

Experimental Hybrid Cars Get Up to 250 Mpg - Yahoo! News

I’m a huge energy freak. So I get off on this kind of stuff.

Experimental Hybrid Cars Get Up to 250 Mpg - Yahoo! News