You do not need an expensive new EV to have a lot of fun. From trips to Northern Ontario, ski trips and everything in between see how we made the most of our used Nissan Leaf.
Snow and Solar
As winter sets in, the white stuff starts falling from the sky. Many of a critic of solar panels point out that this is why solar never works in Canada. And yes, unsurprisingly, solar panels covered with snow do not produce electricity. But what did surprise me is how easily snow slides off the panels…
Is cheap solar killing the grid?
Lately several news items have cropped up suggesting that cheap solar is killing the grid (source). The too long did not read version roughly goes like so: Net metering results in a revenue loss to the utility, the then cash strapped utility cannot afford to provide necessary upgrades and falls into disrepair or has to…
Leaf battery upgrades?
For a long time now, there have been aftermarket specialists offering battery upgrades for the Nissan Leaf. The newer batteries have typically been sourced from crashed Leafs. Naturally, this puts a crimp on the battery supply. Well, now a Chinese company has stepped up the game, and is offering refurbishment packs for your Nissan Leaf…
Brown energy exports?
Should battery systems be able to export stored energy during peak hours? Even if that energy originally came from the grid during off-peak hours? Welcome to the world of brown exports, we discuss some of the issues involved: Should you configure your system to do brown exports? Are you allowed to do so by your…
Old flagship or newer so so EV?
As long as there have been automobiles, buyers on a budget, have always faced a dilemma: Should I get yester-years flagship, or buy a new(er) mass market brand? Looking at our last used EV survey we see a similar trend. Your 30k could get you a 2024 Nissan Leaf plus, or a 2016 Tesla model…
A year with a home battery
As October rolls around, and I start rummaging around the attic looking for the Halloween box containing various front yard ornaments, its time to look back and reflect on the home battery system. Overall we went into this with two main goals. Energy security and economics. We have succeeded on both fronts, with the home…
Can we retire the Portlands gas plant?
Lately, signs have been popping up in my neighbourhood “Retire the Portlands gas plant”. Presumably referring to the gas power plant in the Toronto Portlands, and its 600 MW of rated power. I live in a fairly left-leaning neighbourhood, even by Toronto standards, and the few politically charged materials I have stumbled across have failed…
Pricing update for Ontario
Well, seems the inflation ghost is finally creeping into power pricing in Ontario. To little fanfare, the Ontario energy board announced a price increase for residential electricity rates in Ontario. On the ultra-low overnight rate (which I use), the peak rate went up a whopping 38% (from 28.4 to 39.1 c/kWh). Lets look at the…
Fancy EV charging economics
A common complaint when it comes to funding the EV charging network, is that just like gas it should pay for it self and be left to the private sector. The fallacy here is that well, gas retail sales are not really profitable. In fact there is usually a convenience store onsite where the profits…
Return on your solar investment
Having had solar for six months or so, three of which my utility has given me credits for excess solar, lets look back and see how the financials are stacking up. Primarily the assumptions we made during the system design phase. They key design numbers are “revenue” per kWh, and if you have the capacity…
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Electric car adventures 