This can be dangerous for utility company workers.
When a line needs to be repaired, the technician takes steps to ensure the line isn’t carrying current from known sources. A panel plugged in by a civilian via a home outlet is not known. The technician can be killed by the unexpected current.
The panels are designed to not provide current if no current is detected on the mains. Otherwise you would also have a live plug at the end of the panel. Killing your own customers is typically not a good business strategy, so quite a lot of safety has been focused on ensuring this isn't a problem.
Not just designed not to provide current, in general they simply can't. They follow the phase from the mains (the sine curve of voltage and current), without the mains there isn't a phase to follow and they simply can't output anything
This was a contributing factor in the Spain blackout, because even large-scale solar and wind plants were using the same type of simple inverters
Not really, the full report refuted this. Issue in Spain was much more nuanced. Mostly related to lax voltage controls and outdated and slow control mechanisms at the grid, high voltage net.
It can be dangerous to backfeed (which is why you're supposed to have an interlock for a generator inlet, ensuring utility power is disconnected). But:
1. These grid tie inverters are designed and tested to shut off completely if there's no grid power. (This is a big design tradeoff: it means they don't provide any power during a grid power outage, even if it's very sunny out.)
2. Even if I had a beefy generator that was unsafely backfeeding my house while the utility power was still connected, the generator would be trying to power not just my house, but all my neighbors too! And the circuit breaker and/or inverter on the generator would likely trip and shut down almost instantly.
There's still a possible risk from #2, especially if the downed wire being repaired is relatively local (i.e. your house only).
But I think #1 and #2 mitigate this risk very well.
On point 1, you can pay extra to get an inverter that does "islanding mode". During an external outage the inverter stops sending power out of the house but keeps supplying power inside the house. Whole-house backup batteries such as the Tesla Powerwall (and competitors) also have this capability.
Anyone who is looking for a generator to power their house during a regional outage should look into other types of generation that will do islanding mode.
FUD. Every inverter currently on the market immediately drops the connection if the grid isn't present, there is absolutely no way this could happen with these puny inverters.
I was characterizing the objections I think some people would've had, from their perspective. Not trying to make a persuasive argument to people not already onboard with those perspectives.
But to one of your points: in some cases, it's not name-calling, but an objective assessment. And "fascist regime" and "collaboration" have historical meaning. I suggest that people of integrity would do well to consider the connotations. Especially at IBM, which infamously was a collaborator with one of the worst fascist regimes. "Never again" should still be in the minds of every executive and board member.
Indeed. Despite their many glaring flaws neither the Israeli nor American governments are fascist so the former Redhatter is right in that you should discount the associated opinion when encountering that phrase.
Given that a number of professors on authoritarian politics staunchly disagree with that assessment, I will trust them and their years of research experience over the unwarranted confidence of some HN anon.
I live in a state where there is a significant amount of logging done. I have learned how it works.
The logging companies own a great amount of land— of course they can only log where they own or lease the land.
They cut their own land to nothing in cycles. After they have harvested the trees, they plant new ones ( in designed manner ) and then move on to the next patch. For optimal results, they have to have enough land under contract to stay busy until the earlier harvested/planted lot is again ready.
At least that’s how it works here. This is for fast growing trees like pine.
They should show Murphy’s statements before the first US bombs dropped.
Iran had executed 40,000 of its own citizens. This presented an exceptional quandry for the US president. Sit by and do nothing, or try to stop it? Trump publicly mulled the issue for weeks, which was the time for fair discussion on the issue.
Those that opposed bombing Iran ( at that time ) now have a legitimate platform to criticize Trump. Those that remained silent should be silent still.
Is that 40,000 number going to turn out to be the nurse Nayirah of Iran? Does that number come from a credible NGO? Is there a mass grave in a known location? Grieving mothers?
Murphy is the typical ignorant politician. Iran has been chanting Death to America since 1979 and was on the verge of getting a nuke.
9/11 happened because we failed to act when we had the chance to take out UBL in the 90's. Trump is not waiting for us to get nuked. His actions are simple self-defense by putting the Persians back in charge in Iran. So oil prices go up for a month, big deal.
The world will be FAR safer when that terrorist regime is gone.
I’m a banjo player. Starting with tab ( and playing for myself ) quickly got me to a certain level and then ingrained some bad habits. Playing by ear is much better.
One way that seems to work really well:
1. Listen to the song, tap the rhythm to learn it.
2. Figure the chord progression.
3. Using standard rolls ( sequence of notes, one measure ) find how to fit in melody notes
Few people had air conditioning. Cars might last 100,000 miles, if you got a good one. They performed poorly, got awful mileage, and crushed the passenger compartment if you got into an accident.
Many people smoked, and people died younger. Medicine wasn’t as good.
Rich kids might have a giant set of books called an ‘encyclopedia’. It was about the only way to learn things that were outside your circle, there was no internet.
TV came in 3 channels, and you had to be sitting in front of it when your show came on. There was no way to record a show for later viewing.
Of course race relations were much worse then. So were things for women and others. Job advancement wasn’t the same as it is today.
I wouldn’t go back for anything. The poorest people today ( even the homeless, who seem to often have really nice tents and weather gear, relatively ) have it better than in 1970.
I don’t care what things cost. Practically everybody is richer today.
The 1970s energy crisis as a result of issues in Israel and Iran did indeed help improve cars.
We had this thing called a 'library', with 'books', which helped me learn things outside my circle. Our schools even had a full-time librarian to help us with the technology. Even our church had a library, with a bunch of Tom Swift books.
We didn't live in the boonies like you did. On VHF we had 3 commercial network TV stations, an independent station, and PBS. On UHF there were more, including another PBS station, another independent station, and a commercial station in the Spanish International Network (SIN).
My parents could afford to buy a home and raise a family on a single income from my high school educated father. He died 10 years ago. My mother still gets benefits from his pension plan.
It's also true that cheap ass nylon tents are better than the canvas tents we used to camp in. While we metaphorically drown in plastic as the anthropogenic global warming predicted by the 1970s tightens its grip ever more.
Am I misunderstanding something or is your point - Poor people have air conditioning and better (but certainly not cheaper) medical outcomes, and netflix today, therefore they have a better quality of life than 1970? And people without homes have better tents and jackets, today?
When a line needs to be repaired, the technician takes steps to ensure the line isn’t carrying current from known sources. A panel plugged in by a civilian via a home outlet is not known. The technician can be killed by the unexpected current.
reply