Hi George65 - I think you have some misunderstandings going on here:
In my own case:
- I'll estimate offhand that my solar is providing about 1/2 of my electricity use (including at-home PHEV charging). Some fractional percentage should probably also be attributed to the 6 MW or so solar plant down the street in this small community. Yes, the grid would likely be considered dirty. Once I have enough money to install more solar panels (something I've been doing over time), the greening of my electrons (other than the tie to the semi-brown grid) will be complete. Once I have enough money to replace my PHEV with a proper long-range BEV (about 6 years from now when a Chevy Bolt or Tesla Model 3 will come done in used prices to my price range) then my transportation will be close to zero carbon. While I'll be giving back enough clean electrons to say I'm zero net carbon, I think strictly speaking, since I'd still be using a partially dirty utility for some things, to be fully zero carbon I'd have to go off-grid, or the utility would have to go zero carbon.
- I see EVS as similar to diesel vehicles in that the fuel source can be changed over time. This cannot be said of gasoline vehicles other than maybe high percentage ethanol flex-fuel vehicles.
- I have attended local biofuel meetings a long time ago, but in my own case, it would be difficult for me to run veggie diesel. The fuel is not that common around here. I am not much more likely to brew my own than I am to build my own EV. On the other hand, I'd be happy to consider buying a biodiesel PHEV. I should note also, even 13 years ago, used diesels were not that common around here, and as for keeping a new vehicle under warranty, I was not willing to pay the depreciation on a new vehicle, much less spend my time winding my way through any warranty considerations.
In general:
- The high kW Tesla public charging you've heard about takes place at DC quick charge "supercharger" stations built by Tesla.
(Just in case this is of use, although you may have already seen this, you can see a map of them and other charge stations here, using the filters):
https://www.plugshare.comVoltages at Superchargers, per plug are much higher than 240 Volts (as they are at other DC quick-chargers for other vehicles). No, I don't think the kW drop off in the way you describe when more than one Tesla is charging. I have lost track of exactly what Tesla has said on the matter, but they have demonstrated and I think discussed from the start a commitment to making the stations renewably powered and have gone pretty far out of their way as a company to incorporate (literally) solar into what they do.
There is some recent information here as to Tesla's Superchargers and renewability:
http://www.thedrive.com/sheetmetal/11338/tesla-going-off-the-grid-plans-to-power-superchargers-using-solarTesla Going Off the Grid, Plans to Power Superchargers Using Solar
More infrastructure upgrades announced to solidify Tesla's footing in the marketplace.
BY ROB STUMPFJUNE 9, 2017
When Teslas charge at 240 Volts AC, I think this is more in the range of 5 or 10 or 20 kW (such as at homes, or such as you'll see at some hotels and such, on the map).
- In general, in discussing the EV Industry, it is common for some journalists and industry critics to go out of their way to mix some bad information and assumptions in, when discussing the brown grid issues. (Note, I am not referring to you, but to certain websites and such).
I haven't studied it as much recently, but I am going to estimate this is somewhat similar to some of the over-simplified carbon criticisms that are leveled sometimes at renewable fuels such as whether it is improper to use food for fuel, whether fossil-fuel-based pesticides were used in the farming, whether petroleum was used in the farming or transportation of the fuel, whether the localized air emissions are healthy (NOx), whether renewable fuels really can be scaled, etc. There are I think some nuanced, useful and balanced answers (such as that some renewable fuels on balance are much lower carbon than others, and that ultimately synthesis of renewable fuels will likely be possible at much higher volumes than today), but there are times when it is apparent there is going to be someone who from the start of the conversation is really just out to look only at the problems and not the solutions.
I think it's somewhat similar with EVs and certain websites or industry critics who are always going to ignore some of the responses and counter-balancing considerations.
- From the start of EV deployment, there's been a decent correlation of demographics of EV early adopters and PV early adopters. I reckon over time the percentages may fall off somewhat.
- On the big question of whether we should be fearful that massive amounts of brown grid power are needed to power high-volume deployment of EVs, I do agree it is a concern (just as there would be some major concerns to try to project a planet with a 90 or 100m bbl per day petroleum habit transitioning to veggie diesel.) However, I have heard conflicting points as to whether it really ends up being quite as much a concern as you describe. If, per capita, each vehicle passenger stops using their average number of gasoline or petro-diesel gallons per day and replaces them with 10-20 kWh per day (wild guess as to # of miles, on average being around 30-60 miles), then I think instead of making an assumption that this is not tenable in a renewably-powered world, we should look at the matter with a fresh set of eyes and ask, given the pace of change-over to renewable power, whether it will be possible.
I do agree that renewable fuels get short shrift from some EV advocates, and there are times when I may sort of be one of those people, but at other times I think I've kept some perspective on renewable fuels. For example, I have noted in another forum that one of the major failings of the Volt I bought is that it does not allow me to fill the gasoline tank with reneweable or partially-renewable fuel of some sort. I'm not sure how reliable the information is, but one reason I've been offered why this is so is that it would be difficult to design the vehicle such that the fuel side could sit for weeks or months unused (as happens with some drivers who stay within the EV range for weeks or months at a time and don't use gasoline from the tank). I think this particular objection could be solved by programming the vehicle to burn some fuel on occasion even if the driver didn't want. This isn't ideal (the vehicle has much lower noise-vibration-harshness under EV power) but is I think possible.
Anyway, some thoughts.
opinions my own / speaking only for myself.
I do realize that some rural livers don't care about low CO2, or maybe even other pollutants, but I do.
While your intentions are noble, I have to question their effectiveness.
A quick look up of arizona power supply shows it to be 10% renewable at best. The rest is Coal, Gas and Nuke generated in the majority.
With only a 2.7 Kw solar supply of your own, I'd suggest for the most part you are merely substituting one Fossil fuel source for another. I'd further tend to think if a primary goal was emissions, you'd be far better off with a Diesel Vehicle and running it on 100% renewable Veg oil.
You would have the advantage of a far greater range ( I carry extra Fuel in my 4WD and do a 2500KM trip once-twice a year using nothing but veg) Cost savings and be able to use the power you make from your solar in your home.
If you are electric dedicated, then Putting a LOT more panels on your roof would be very worthwhile. You would generate probably 10-15 Kwh a day with what you have now and I can't see that going far in an electric vehicle.
Another option may be to charge the thing with a veg fuelled generator.
All this electric car thing is good and well but people really tick me off when they start talking about zero emissions. NO, there is noting coming out your tail pipe but the one a few hundred miles away has a 30 Ft round tail pipe and that where the emissions your Vehicle makes are emitted from. Either that or it's put into strongly sealed containers. and buried under mountains for future generations to try to figure out what the hell to do with it.
Electrics now have speed, range and fast charging.... for the time being.
There are not too many places in the world where the grid would be able to take Twice let alone maybe 50 times the load transfering all the IC Vehicles to electrics would impose. This is the real problem with electrics.
Sure, Tesla is making ( broken) promises of how many model 3's they are going to be able to produce by the end of 2018 but I wonder how fast the grid is going to be able to keep up with them? The thing of charging stations will be an issue as well. If you compare how many vehicles a service station can refuel in an hour and how many cars can get through a charging station, there is a real problem there on several levels.
In busy times where there is a lot of traffic, It's hard to see how they are going to have enough space an charging stations to cater for the amount of people that want to recharge.
Sure, put a charging station in every parking bay at maccas so people can go in , grab a bit and a coffee and have a break while their car charges up.
I think I looked up before a tesla can suck down 120Kw at a charging station. On 240V that's nearly 500A. A normal house connection here is 80A and it would be extremely rare to find a single place sucking down that much power.
Let say there are 20 Charging stations in the carpark, that's 2.4 Mw of power just at that site . How many other sites will that segment of the grid be feeding and further back, how many will be in the area supplied but the local sub and power stations?
Another thing that's not mentioned with charging time with teslas is they quote an hour. That's true if the thing isn't completely flat which we'll assume it is not and people leave a small reserve as one normally would with a petrol car. You go to the supercharger and plug in next to the guy that just pulled up. The charger is current limited and you are only going to get 30Kw being the second car to plug in rather than the 120Kw which is the max charge rate. Because the guy beside was before you but still needs to do a full charge more or less, your recharge could take 2 hours not 1. And that is if it's getting full power in the first place and the site isn't limited on it's max current draw because of all the other stations and the wiring at the power pole.
Thanks to the rush to remove Coal fired power stations and go renewable, we are facing severe power shortages here. It's not going to be a quick fix and I can easily see limits being put on EV's should they start becoming popular so as to stop Taking power away from homes, Businesses and places like hospitals, schools etc.
The problem now is not with EV's but will be how to in fact Fuel them.
Seems like the same old problem to me.