We all know how environmental friendly renewable energy sources can be (Solar, wind, waves etc.). Also we all know this technology in still under development to increase its efficiency and lower initial costs. Now, lets say you (personally) wanted to start a small business; would you opt. for purchasing and using renewable energies (energy harvester (solar, wind etc...) plus batteries and so on.) Knowing it will have some significant initial capital costs, and depending on local electricity cost, it may take upto 10years for the electric savings to make up for the initial cost. That is if all goes well and the new technology doesnt fail, and it may cost some maintenance over the years.
So it wont be economically beneficial on the short term, but on the long term if it doest fail, it may actually have beneficial returns. Considering all this, would you personally use this type of technology and solely rely on it for your own business use? And also to stand out and support and promote this technology?
Or would you rather go the cheap way, and opt. for the usual electricity grid?
Some people may say it takes less than 10years for the bill-cuts to makeup for the initial cost. That strongly depends on where one may be, their local electricity cost and the technology available. Right now, Im writing this from iran; where electricity is quiet cheap but on the other hand, the technology is quiet expensive. So it may take upto or even more than a decade for the cost cuts to rival upto the initial base costs.
If you have the option of Net Metering, where any excess can be supplied to the local power grid, then the investment in renewables is well worth it. Also In such cases batteries are not necessary therefore reducing the initial investment required.
I would go a third way and choose an electricity supplier from the grid who supplies renewably-sourced electricity. (This of course may not be possible everywhere, and depends on the size and function of my hypothetical business.)
Renewable Energies are already quite competitive and technologically reliable. Comparing just the initial costs is misleading and conventional energy costs may go up over the lifetime. There's a tool to evaluate, named LCOE = levelized cost of energy, whereas you add up the initial costs and the running cost including estimated price hikes over a certain time....Costs are then discounted to todays level and you have a fair comparison.
Large consumers are charged for socially acceptable attitudes and are gradually migrating to renewable energies - remembering that the tides are not yet a viable solution. Small and medium-sized producers do not have to worry about this topic yet, especially when considering the current crisis scenario.
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There was a task to develop old technology to get renewable power for family usage scale purposes under Energy by Motion (EBM), but it failed. The initial idea was to solve the family's daily power consumption, then the power generation factory aims the requirement of the industry. It would improve PM 2.5 situation from now on.
I will be concise in my suggestion. Think of a scenario in which you take a loan against property or personal loan to buy the renewable energy infrastructure (like solar power roof-top) and you are obliged to pay interest on it. If the interest payout is less than the electricity charges charged by the authorities then, in my opinion, you should go ahead with the purchase of the renewable energy infrastructure. You will gain financially both in the short as well as in the long term.
Por supuesto, se está buscando bajar los costos, para ello optaría la energía solar de impacto social, en los lugares alto andinos, en los campos donde la energía eléctrica es muy caro, la energía eólica es otra alternativa en toda se genera vientos.
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