Ω 🌍 Gus Posey

RE: https://vis.social/@infobeautiful/116109430224379547

So let me get this straight:

- Solar panels are more efficient and easier to install.
- They're becoming shockingly cheap, like TVs.
- They last much longer than expected.
- They provide unexpected environmental benefits.

That's a done deal.

#Solarpunk

Feb 21 at 4:58pmWeb
Show threadNicks WorldFeb 21
@Gustodon @infobeautiful From what I've seen, they cost like $30000 for a whole solar powered system.
Show threadΩ 🌍 Gus PoseyFeb 21
@NicksWorld It gets complicated with the inverter and everything but you can buy a pallet of panels for $5000. Everything after that is a game of thrift.
Show threadceartasFeb 22

@Gustodon @NicksWorld

We live in a 550 sq ft cabin.

Our rig: eg4 12000 off grid inverter, 3 eg4 100ah 48v batteries, 10 solar panels, cost about $15k, from signaturesolar.com. It ran our A/C and everything else during the summer. We can switch to grid when needed and charge from the grid.

We added 5 more panels, purchased 3 more batteries, not yet online. We installed an eg4 mini-split hybrid heat pump, which came with 5 solar panels, not yet installed.

Show threadceartasFeb 22

@Gustodon @NicksWorld

We did the installation, fortunately my wife is a wire wizard, since I am an electrichicken.

Show threadNicks WorldFeb 22
@ceartas @Gustodon Wooooo! $15000 is what I owe privately in student loans!
Show threadceartasFeb 22

@NicksWorld @Gustodon

We had to raid my IRA (we’re old) and pay tax on the money I withdrew. Hoping to recoup some from the tax credit, which unfortunately expired last year.

Show threadlin11cFeb 21
@Gustodon
They don't require being connected to a grid, correct? That could be a real plus in the future world chaos. Don't need AI either. 😆
Show threadΩ 🌍 Gus PoseyFeb 21
@lin11c No grid required. Obviously people do both, but it's possible to be completely self-sufficient in terms of energy, or to have it as a backup, as you suggest, if the grid is destroyed.
Show threadlin11cFeb 21
@Gustodon
A more perfect energy solution has never existed! Why don't more people take advantage of this. Cities!
Show threadChao-c'Feb 21

@lin11c @Gustodon the only problem is, that in temperate climate zone, you have winter. During winter, the production goes as low as 10% and only for few hours per day.

Cloudy days and nights are mostly ok during summer, when the batteries can recharge only after few hours of sunlight.

This means, that we still need some backup sources during winter. And this is the only issue, because scalable long term accumulation is still not easy.

Show threadΩ 🌍 Gus PoseyFeb 21
@xChaos Agreed. But we also need to really ask ourselves what needs electricity and what doesn't. I don't know enough about it to say but even the idea that it's always turned on might be an error.
Show threadNeo EhproqueFeb 21
@Gustodon @xChaos heating is a big one I'm afraid, especially during winter
(However, house insulation should come first)
Show threadJonathan HartleyFeb 21
@xChaos @lin11c @Gustodon You are right, of course. People will fight against sustainable energy use until the externalities eventually get so bad that the transition will force itself upon us, and at that point it will be a sudden, unplanned catastrophe, rather than the gradual planned transition we could afford to make if we start now.
Show threadlin11cFeb 21
@xChaos @Gustodon
Yes of course that's true. Storing excess capacity in batteries becomes important, and from my understanding, the batteries are getting a lot better. We must thwart the planned obsolescence that is now rampant in our capitalist "democracies". They won't allow for products that last for decades. There must be constant replacements, upgrades, and a large "profit" for shareholders. That's where all progress crumbles and fails. It's not allowed!!
Show threadChao-c'Feb 21

@lin11c @Gustodon unlike plastic crap, with batteries, the obsolescence is not really planned. Of course, the best available technology may not be available, for example because of stockpiles of old stuff or licensing issues, but mostly I beleive it is just really because existing level of technology.

In most of temperate climate zone, you can get energy autonomy with solar panels and battery for 8 months per year, but the winter season would be really tricky, even when burning wood for heating. But selling excess energy to grid and buying it during winter can be way to go. The regulations required for doing this are slowly getting better.

Show threadfluffy 💜Feb 21
@xChaos @lin11c @Gustodon in seattle the grid storage math works out really well. My power utility just charges me around $10/month for the grid connection (which I’d have anyway) and then essentially runs my meter in reverse when I’m generating excess power, so there’s no real financial incentive to me getting a battery.
Show threadlin11cFeb 21
@fluffy @xChaos @Gustodon
That's a great system!
Show threadlin11cFeb 21
@xChaos @Gustodon
It sounds like there are solutions. Wind might fill in too? I like these better than nuclear.
Show threadChao-c'Feb 22

@lin11c almost everybody likes almost anything more, than nuclear. But natural gas is so cheap, that possible accumulation solutions are not competitive.

Another solution would be huge seasonal differences in prices of electricity, which would force shutting down of certain industrial processes during winter. But it may be problem to protect households from high prices during winter. This is why general public will always call for cheap natural gas, just like bread and games in Rome.

Small scale, off-the-grid seasonal storage is something almost everybody dreams about. Besides free home energy it would mean also free charging of electric cars and much more...

@Gustodon

Show threadlin11cFeb 22
@xChaos @Gustodon
From my observations, because of AI future power needs, there is a lot more discussion lately of adding new nuclear plants to the mix. A very bad path to go down IMO unless there is some new technology to reduce the waste. They also need massive amounts of water just like AI data centers.
Show threadChao-c'Feb 22

@lin11c yes, there is project to replace existing nuclear power plants with new blocks, in my country. The public support for this is huge (which means, that "nobody really wants it except here").

https://faculty.cc.gatech.edu/~beki/cs4001/Winner.pdf
"The increased deployment of
nuclear power facilities must lead society toward authoritarianism. Indeed, safe
reliance upon nuclear power as the principal source of energy may be possible only in a totalitarian state."

The AI training is typical example of something, which can be restricted to summer season of cheap solar and doesn't need to be done when energy is expensive (unless you can reuse waste heat, which should be possible, BTW... we are doing it with our small "traditional", non-AI datacenter)

@Gustodon

Show threadToroidalCoreFeb 22

@xChaos @lin11c @Gustodon This is sort of why electric grids were built out in the first place, to better match supply and demand and allow different sources to operate more efficiently.

Doing solar at scale (as opposed to isolated off-grid systems) is going to need more transmission in addition to storage. The energy is there, but we don't have as much experience harvesting solar vs the other forms.

Show threadHugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷Feb 22
@xChaos That's what batteries are for. @lin11c @Gustodon
Show threadfluffy 💜Feb 21
@lin11c @Gustodon if you want to go off-grid you need a large battery storage system and those are still pretty expensive and prone to wear. Hopefully sodium batteries will improve that situation.
Show threadTom RiniFeb 21
@Gustodon I love my system, and I hope battery tech and cost catch-up soon. Both individual and industrial levels are the next big hurdle.
Show threadDark Phoenix 🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱🇵🇦🇵🇸🏳️‍🌈Feb 21
@Gustodon I have a small emergency system (power box and single portable panel) that I got from Harbor Freight for under $400 ($450 if you get the extended warranty).
I got it for camping, but it is also great for keeping phones charged in blackouts.
The power box is strong enough to run a USB electric blanket and phone charger all night, while watching a movie on my phone. (Only one, but hey)
Show threadMomoFeb 21
@Gustodon
...and they still don't know how to properly predict how it will proceeds from where we're right now. Every single one of those yellow prediction line was crap and you don't need to be an expert to see that the latest one is completely bullshit.
Show threadfluffy 💜Feb 21

@Gustodon @corbden even in stereotypically-cloudy Seattle I get a way better return on investment for the solar panels I had installed a few years ago than I would have by investing the money normally.

(Investing it in NVIDIA specifically would have been better of course but oh well)

Show threadSBJ_in_DEFeb 21
@Gustodon So the Tennessee Valley Power Authority announces they are going back to coal in Trump’s stupid America .
Show threadNicole ParsonsFeb 21

@Gustodon

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-oil-industry-donations

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5639951

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-big-oil-1-billion

This graph explains why the fossil fuel industry is funding fascist movements globally.
https://msmagazine.com/2026/02/20/heritage-foundation-women/

https://www.desmog.com/2025/03/14/heritage-foundation-project-2025-allies-mcc-ordo-iuris-discuss-dismantling-the-eu-european-union/

https://www.axios.com/2026/01/16/trump-power-data-center-costs

Their planet-frying business is at risk.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/us/politics/koch-network-2024-election-trump.html

They want AI to thwart that switch to solar & wind.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-06/saudis-plan-100-billion-ai-powerhouse-to-rival-uae-s-tech-hub

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/technology/saudi-arabia-ai-exporter.html

https://www.reuters.com/business/us-authorizes-export-advanced-american-semiconductors-companies-saudi-uae-2025-11-19/

https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/05/ai-chip-trump-gulf-uae-saudi-security-risk-good-deal

https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2026/02/02/KAQOZZIMUZH4LDU5PPTZUWGF2M/

Trump to Big Oil Execs: Give Me $1 Billion and I'll Help You Wreck the Planet | Common Dreams

"You won't read a more important story today," said one commentator. "Trump is willing to literally destroy the planet for $1 billion."

Common Dreams
Show threadKim Possible Feb 21
@Gustodon I hope it becomes a standard component of new builds.
Show threadHugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷Feb 22
@Gustodon Agrisolar is getting bigger. You get paid to host solar, and you can grow crops under the arrays, with far less water use because it doesn't evaporate as much. Win/win.
Show threadJohn CrowdenFeb 22
@Gustodon Incredible graphic. Thanks.