The Red Knight and the Dawn of the Solar Dragon (Encore)

Explicit content warning

05/15/24 • 57 min

Once upon a time, there were honest and friendly dragons who heated the boilers for steam-powered electric turbines. But due to the high cost of dragon energy, the King decided that the dragons needed to be replaced, sparking a bloody dragon war that led to the invention of solar power.
True Solar Takeaways

Fossil fuel-based generators work by burning fossil fuels, which boil water to high temperatures. The boiled, high-pressure water produces steam that spins an electric turbine, generating electricity.
Unionized labor dominates the energy industry, including solar.
All utilities contract or own stand-by power plants known as "spinning reserves" or "Peaker plants." Peaker plants run 24/7 to provide backup power for when the grid is overloaded--typically when it's a hot summer day and more homes and buildings are using air conditioning.
Utilities, states, and kingdoms pay a significantly higher price for Peaker Plant energy.
The photovoltaic effect is how solar power is produced. When sunlight shines on a special semiconductor material, the sunlight excites electrons and creates a flow of electricity into a direct current.
Tandem perovskite solar cells are coming soon. They promise higher solar cell efficiencies (more generated solar power) at a lower price, but as of July 2023, they haven't been commercialized yet.
Wind power is one of the least expensive forms of energy today.
Lithium-iron-phosphate batteries are increasingly gaining market share for backing up solar power.
Energy wonks often refer to the cost of energy over time as the "Levelized Cost of Energy" or LCOE. It allows them to compare the total cost of a solar plant to, say, a gas or coal plant. Today, solar has the lowest LCOE.
Milanium is an imaginary rare-earth metal. However, solar and clean energy is in great need of many rare-earth metals and not-so-are minerals. These include silicon, the base element for making solar cells for solar panels, and lithium for making rechargeable batteries.
For all the True Solar Takeaways in this dragon story, read the episode notes of Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

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Fossil fuel-based generators work by burning fossil fuels, which boil water to high temperatures. The boiled, high-pressure water produces steam that spins an electric turbine, generating electricity.
Unionized labor dominates the energy industry, including solar.
All utilities contract or own stand-by power plants known as "spinning reserves" or "Peaker plants." Peaker plants run 24/7 to provide backup power for when the grid is overloaded--typically when it's a hot summer day and more homes and buildings are using air conditioning.
Utilities, states, and kingdoms pay a significantly higher price for Peaker Plant energy.
The photovoltaic effect is how solar power is produced. When sunlight shines on a special semiconductor material, the sunlight excites electrons and creates a flow of electricity into a direct current.
Tandem perovskite solar cells are coming soon. They promise higher solar cell efficiencies (more generated solar power) at a lower price, but as of July 2023, they haven't been commercialized yet.
Wind power is one of the least expensive forms of energy today.
Lithium-iron-phosphate batteries are increasingly gaining market share for backing up solar power.
Energy wonks often refer to the cost of energy over time as the "Levelized Cost of Energy" or LCOE. It allows them to compare the total cost of a solar plant to, say, a gas or coal plant. Today, solar has the lowest LCOE.
Milanium is an imaginary rare-earth metal. However, solar and clean energy is in great need of many rare-earth metals and not-so-are minerals. These include silicon, the base element for making solar cells for solar panels, and lithium for making rechargeable batteries.
For all the True Solar Takeaways in this dragon story, read the episode notes of Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

-----

Visit ProbablyTrueSolar.com to sign up for the newsletter to learn about new episodes and live solar storytelling events.
Support the show by visiting the merch store and buying a tee shirt!
Learn how sponsors can be a part of Probably True Solar Stories and tell their own creative stories.
Follow @SolarFred and/or @ProbTrueSolar on Twitter to discuss episodes
Don't forget to:
- Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast streaming service
- Rate
- Review, and
- Share!

Previous Episode

The Solar Way: A Fable (Encore)

Gather around the fireplace, solar friends. Pull up a seat at the bar. On the next, Probably True Solar Stories, we're going to tell a solar fable. It's a fairytale. A hero's journey sort of thing. With a Texas accent. (Forgive me in advance.)
It's about a young, ambitious solar installer who seeks her fortune to be the most successful solar installer in all the land. And like many fables, our ambitious installer meets a wise guide--or in this case, a wise couple--who teaches her about The Solar Way, a solar-inspired guide to living life on The Solar Coaster.
True Solar Takeaways
This episode doesn't have many solar facts about the solar industry. The main takeaway is that the solar biz has many ups and downs and policy twists and turns that people have called it "The Solar Coaster."
The people riding the solar coaster can get discouraged, including me. To help smooth out the ups and downs, I've read some Taoism and Stoicism text and turned some of my learnings into" The Solar Way":

Be warm. Shine like the sun.
Let go of broken solar panels.
Be interconnected.
The sun rises every day. Be as consistent.
The sun sets every day. This too shall pass.

If you're interested in learning more about Taoism and Stoicism, here are a few audio and text resources:

The Daily Stoic. Through his website, podcast, and books, Ryan Holiday offers modern insights through ancient Stoic wisdom. Although the Stoic philosophy is very old, Holiday keeps it simple and relevant to the way people live today. Check out his free daily podcast and daily email. Of course, his books are a great resource, as well.
The Tao of Daily Life by Derik Lin is a well-deserved bestseller. It teaches the principles of Taoism through the classic Taoist and Buddhist fables. Although the stories are still set in ancient China, Lin translates these stories in a way that is very accessible for our modern world. Then he cites a passage from the Tao te Ching and explains the wisdom behind each story. This book and other David Lin books are also available in audio and digital forms.
Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine by Derren Brown. You may know Derren Brown as an international illusionist, but he's also a professed Stoic. Happy is his easy-to-read guide to happiness using examples from his shows, his illusions, and from his own life. He often cites Stoic texts, but it's not a book about Stoicism. Check out his many YouTube videos to see his stage performances and British TV shows.

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Support the show by visiting the merch store and buying a tee shirt!
Learn how sponsors can be a part of Probably True Solar Stories and tell their own creative stories.
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Don't forget to:
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Next Episode

I'm Sorry, Ma'am, But You Can't Go Solar (Encore)

On the next Probably True Solar Stories, a feisty senior citizen is determined to haggle with a solar salesman to buy the solar system of her dreams. But her haggling plans fall through when an honest salesperson refuses to sell an installation at any price. Can they find the solar win-win?
True Solar Takeaways

Not every home is a good fit for solar.
The home may have too many trees or other obstacles that block the sun--and solar production. The home may need a new roof. The home's wiring or service panel may need an upgrade. A good installer will make an evaluation and let you know these things in advance of signing a contract. You can always make these upgrades and go solar in the future.
In general, solar installed on North-facing roofs will generate very little solar power, but in some areas, such as Southern California, it can make financial sense. However, for most of the U.S. and Europe, a South-facing roof is ideal. West and East are okay, and in some cases, may be better.
If you live in Australia, a North-facing roof is great.
Your solar installer should design the best system based on your roof and many factors.
To find a good installer, get a referral from a friend who's already gone solar.
Even with a friend's referral, always check out solar installer reviews on the internet. Yelp, Google Reviews, Angie's List, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) will usually reveal the bad and good installers.
After reading reviews and doing your homework, always get at least three quotes. You'll learn something about solar and your home's electricity usage with every quote.
Beware of the installer's utility inflation rate when a proposal estimates your payback period and ROI. No one can predict utility rate inflation over the next 25 years. Just because your bill went up 10% for two years in a row does not mean it will go up 10% every year for the next 25 years.
You can find more buying tips on the internet. The most important thing is to get at least three quotes and compare them. If you're confused, ask the installer questions. If they get frustrated or pressure you to just sign without understanding the proposal, costs, and payback period, walk away.
If you're not familiar with computers and the internet, find someone who is. Shopping for solar is complicated.
You can't properly shop for a solar installer from ads in the Yellow Pages, no matter what special discounts are promised.
If you can't go solar, your state may have community solar programs that allow you to go solar by "subscribing" to a large solar farm in your area. Search Google for "community solar in YOUR STATE" to learn about the available programs.

Hope that helps!

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Visit ProbablyTrueSolar.com to sign up for the newsletter to learn about new episodes and live solar storytelling events.
Support the show by visiting the merch store and buying a tee shirt!
Learn how sponsors can be a part of Probably True Solar Stories and tell their own creative stories.
Follow @SolarFred and/or @ProbTrueSolar on Twitter to discuss episodes
Don't forget to:
- Subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast streaming service
- Rate
- Review, and
- Share!