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Old 05-28-2019, 02:32 PM   #12
diver dave
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City: Palm Coast, FL
Vessel Name: Coquina
Vessel Model: Lagoon 380
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,570
Powerwall (local battery storage) is almost a fundamental component in what we can call "small island power grids". Solar, in a place like bimini, will have huge fluctuations, even due to a single cloud passing. The trick is to store energy when supply exceeds demand, and enough to last when supply is low. You will be looking at $ for DC to AC conversion, likely multiple energy to electrical systems, wind, solar, gulf stream current, etc.

I still think that central plants will have a place for the next couple dozen years, and those need to be more $ efficient. What is less $, to bury NG lines or to bury electrical? But, it is not just that, it must include the efficiencies of larger scale plants. Efficient NG plants use compound schemes to take the exhaust heat from several turbines and drive a secondary turbine. Really can't do that with a small system. And the personnel to run power plants are $ too. Much easier to watch gauges and report issues, than to maintain even a smallish plant.

edit: I incorrectly said Abaco is serviced by GBI. It is not, and has two large gen sites on island. GBI is a different company than BEC, that serves about all except GBI.
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