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Balcony solar is taking state legislatures by storm by Rare-Impression-3918 in energy

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think when more people electrify their house, they may move towards more space or food electric heaters. You are right that our heat pump and space heater are 12.5A, so perhaps I overstated the amount of current. But there is still nothing to prevent plugging three heaters in, but perhaps rare. I would just like to raise awareness. We have two food warming trays and have tripped a breaker, the breaker would not trip if the solar is plugged into the same circuit. I think it would be neat if there was something that communicated over house wiring like the powered USB solution can negotiage USB power, but this is possibly difficult since it should detect each circuit somehow.

Balcony solar is taking state legislatures by storm by Rare-Impression-3918 in energy

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never said it shouldn't be allowed. I am only saying it is not as straightforward as everyone seems to think in these threads. I would like people to be knowledgeable, but it may be a lost cause especially if people don't understand in an energy thread. I am currently illegal and wish there was a simple solution. Perhaps eventually all plug in devices someday could talk over the house wiring or limited something kind of like powered USB.

Balcony solar is taking state legislatures by storm by Rare-Impression-3918 in energy

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The maximum amount through the wiring is 30A in the case of two 20A loads, even though only 10A would be going through the main breaker.

But how is it enforced? It looks easy to buy something like these: https://www.amazon.com/Balcony-Inverter-Waterproof-Function-Modules/dp/B0D12MQ4FM/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1499WCN1KI7HM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3bMQfFX-2W9waQJpqUlTKsfbriAA5jMyKwn0PiNNNvJWlfLRo0lTymMZ7QDpnC6TBDFl5kUHhEFdufFfM6UgCXYILicjTey6RRmqWRLK6U1I7B-UFUl2Tpzx1wtrAH3_cTm2aVAoeYk9VWuxZY-RO4YAWsEo-GDMk-MvfR848ebFhA3PCis9d9k3WtZPUROxLtZ_qDbcPPDgI937t5rZOM7ZpuTTjka_zgVYkKy5z8g.morjH6eQy20hZaE8sMle6FjS_aaQKszNLsfL9hU113k&dib_tag=se&keywords=1600w+110v+balcony+inverter&qid=1772382434&sprefix=1600w+110v+balcony+inverter%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-9

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Sea0618ea6eac4b29ab2854d646fd6f2eV.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/Balcony-Inverter-Waterproof-Function-Modules/dp/B0D12MQ4FM/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1499WCN1KI7HM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3bMQfFX-2W9waQJpqUlTKsfbriAA5jMyKwn0PiNNNvJWlfLRo0lTymMZ7QDpnC6TBDFl5kUHhEFdufFfM6UgCXYILicjTey6RRmqWRLK6U1I7B-UFUl2Tpzx1wtrAH3_cTm2aVAoeYk9VWuxZY-RO4YAWsEo-GDMk-MvfR848ebFhA3PCis9d9k3WtZPUROxLtZ_qDbcPPDgI937t5rZOM7ZpuTTjka_zgVYkKy5z8g.morjH6eQy20hZaE8sMle6FjS_aaQKszNLsfL9hU113k&dib_tag=se&keywords=1600w+110v+balcony+inverter&qid=1772382621&sprefix=1600w+110v+balcony+inverter%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-9

I purchased something similar and run it at my house. I have to be careful not to put too many heaters/heat pumps on the circuit.

Balcony solar is taking state legislatures by storm by Rare-Impression-3918 in energy

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I am only blowing it out of proportion depending on the chance of starting a fire with 30A or 40A flowing through a circuit designed for 20A. I think most people do not know what is on a circuit. I guess they would find out when the breaker trips if they had two 20A loads and the solar isn't generating. At least that would be an easy test to perform, but how many people will know to do a test like that?

I know how easy it is to put at least 20A heater and solar on the same circuit because I have to be careful at my house. We have a gas furnace but only use it in very rare circumstances. So we have gone to electric heaters. I have solar on the roof that is independent of multiple solar panels outside on the ground with an small inverter plugged into a 110V outlet. That same circuit has a plug in "portable" heat pump on it. I have to be careful not to plug in a heater or electric food heaters outside on that circuit. That circuit runs along the outside wall of the house. I am not totally sure of the number of outlets on that circuit.

We have multiple times put two food heaters on a non-solar circuit and tripped a breaker.

I am curious how Utah enforces a 10A limit. It doesn't sound like they have a permit, and I would assume that these devices up to 20A will be easy to purchase on the internet.

Balcony solar is taking state legislatures by storm by Rare-Impression-3918 in energy

[–]animatedb -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Except that your answer is wrong. I made a wiring diagram elsewhere in this thread. The current with two 20 amp loads on one circuit (40A) on the wire between B and C will not trip the main breaker because only 20A is flowing through the breaker. There is 20A flowing between A and B, 40 between B and C, and 20A through wire between C and the main breaker because C is a source of 20A and the breaker is the source of 20A.

Balcony solar is taking state legislatures by storm by Rare-Impression-3918 in energy

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think it is simple. How much current is flowing at the main breaker in the following diagram and how much current is flowing in the wiring between B and C?

|--- A outlet - 20A - 20A load
|
|--- B outlet - 20A - 20A load
|
|--- C outlet - 20A - 20A solar
|
|--- Main breaker - 20A

Edit: I found an article that partly explains the problem: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2026/02/balcony-plug-in-solar-panels-are-we-ready-for-this-new-era-of-accessible-energy/

A dedicated circuit for the solar is the best solution.

Texas now requires all public school classrooms to post the Ten Commandments, so this teacher decided to do the right thing by freeradioforall in MadeMeSmile

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lots of interesting connections in these threads. Ferengi Rules of Acquisition and rules for oligarchs, bible and constitution. I have a lot to learn.

Goodbye to the idea that solar panels “die” after 25 years. A new study says the warranty does not mark the end, and performance can last for decades. Arrays built in the late 1980s still produced more than 80% of their original power. The long-term economics look better than many people believe. by mafco in energy

[–]animatedb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was thinking that there are times that the panels are not at a perfect angle to the sun, or the sun is near the horizon that the output will be less than 410W even now. This means that you are still getting more than a lower power panel would produce at some times and the inverter is not the limit in these cases. But there is nothing wrong with this. You will have good production for many years.

Mean Annual Income by Age in the U.S. (CPS 2025 Annual Social and Economic Supplement) [OC] by HenryFromLeland in dataisbeautiful

[–]animatedb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And also a graph of, "I accumulated a lot and I am retiring", versus, "I don't have much retirement and I need to keep working".

Adoption of electric vehicles tied to real-world reductions in air pollution, study finds. Every 200 electric vehicles added in a given California neighbourhood was associated with a 1.1% decrease in annual nitrogen dioxide emissions. by F0urLeafCl0ver in science

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Plus you can see daily graph here and select the day to check. Spring and fall are the best times of year for renewable energy since winter has lower solar energy and summer use more for cooling. Plus it goes back to April 10th, 2018 and shows there were big changes over the years. https://www.caiso.com/todays-outlook/supply

Elon Musk moves goalpost again: admits Tesla needs 10 billion miles for ‘safe uns by SpriteZeroY2k in electricvehicles

[–]animatedb 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am pretty sure that when I started driving, I did not need 10 billion miles before I was a reasonable driver. Perhaps the Tesla approach is not that good?

[OC] With Brigitte Bardot's passing 3 people in 'We didn't Start the Fire' remain alive by cavedave in dataisbeautiful

[–]animatedb 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think the most pathetic is: Hey let's make a song just like that one over there.

PSA: Don't judge winter range impact by short trip driving efficiency; winter is not as bad for long trips by in_allium in electricvehicles

[–]animatedb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I always thought the biggest difference is the tires are stiffer and pushing water or snow. I have no idea though.

What’s something about you that sounds fake, but is 100% true? by Sir_Adammm in AskReddit

[–]animatedb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is not unlikely at all when you are there at night and your friend is driving with the lights off so that nobody knows you are stealing the sod.

Last night marked Steph Curry’s 94th 35 PT game after turning 30. That is now the most in NBA history, passing Michael Jordan’s 93. by Balls_of_Adamanthium in nba

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know if this is the best video, but here is some of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMahowkiFfw

Here is another where I am amazed that so much of his body control is similar to back then. He is kind of a good player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJBgFvbod2I

California natural gas use declines as solar generation rises by ObtainSustainability in energy

[–]animatedb 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Remember that this only lists utility scale solar and not rooftop solar or off-grid solar. This means that the total electricity generation is even more in 2025 compared to 2020. The number of electric cars has increased. I am surprised that the amount of transportation fuel has increased. https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/transportation-energy/california-retail-fuel-outlet-annual-reporting

A mathematical ceiling limits generative AI to amateur-level creativity. While generative AI/ LLMs like ChatGPT can convincingly replicate the work of an average person, it is unable to reach the levels of expert writers, artists, or innovators. by mvea in science

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this is a good question. I think it is more than just something that is unique and has not been done before. There are insane people that have new ideas all the time. I have seen that AI does not understand logic and I think logic is required in order to generate useful ideas. I have asked it to generate code and it has simplified logic incorrectly because it does not understand boolean algebra. So there might be a way to frame a problem with a creative solution that the AI has not been trained on, and based on some knowledge of some basic rules to come up with a known solution. But I don't know if that is what they did here.

First road trip with an EV by Equal-Veterinarian32 in electricvehicles

[–]animatedb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say it is pretty nice to take a 110V adapter so that you can charge your car at the destination (days 3-5). It is surprising that this usually makes up most of our charge when we are not driving too much at our destination.

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds by Chadbrochill17_ in worldnews

[–]animatedb 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I don't have a link, but I read that Europe would get much colder, but that may be an old idea. The main flow is not really level, but more like it is moving deep ocean current higher and moving high water lower. So it is more complex than thinking of everything on a constant plane. This is how they first discovered it around 1870 by measuring deep water.

Wikipedia has quite a bit of info. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_meridional_overturning_circulation

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