Fill a small water tower
Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
11–20 of 63 posts
Re: Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
#12Get an electric car?
At 190kw hours it would take me like a month to get a full charge. Also probably peek hours would be when I'm not at home, and neither is the car.
I also worry that I'd end up filling it up in town and using the power at home.
Still, it would certainly fix my battery situation...
Re: Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
#13Heat water?
There are some intermittent things like drying my laundry that it makes sense to do only when I have extra power. I'm probably going to go tankless propane for hot water heating though. Heating water takes a lot of power, storing hot water produces a lot of waste heat, and in the winter when I could most make use of that waste heat is when I'm expecting to not have much of a power surplus. If I could get a hot water…
Similarly, you could distill water for drinking if sources are not pristine.
Re: Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
#14To minimize battery needs, anything that requires power. Charging power tools, drying clothes, pumping water, washing clothes, cooking food, running the fridge, running the AC, vacuum etc.
You can save a surprising amount of money by just running the most energy intensive appliances during peak solar.
Re: Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
#15Create electric car charging station
Re: Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
#16Gravity batteries!
Re: Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
#17Please don’t increase your energy consumption just because you are generating an excess. As a world, we need to lower our energy use (as I’m sure you are well aware). I’d urge you to consider those extra watts as a much needed contribution to the cause.
Re: Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
#18[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
#19Please don’t increase your energy consumption just because you are generating an excess. As a world, we need to lower our energy use (as I’m sure you are well aware). I’d urge you to consider those extra watts as a much needed contribution to the cause.
That makes no sense. If the energy is here, what's the benefit of not using it?
Re: Ask HN: What can I do with extra electricity?
#20Distill hydrogen for your new hydrogen car