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Comment by s1artibartfast | Hacker News Reader

But an individual can't take action without the grid taking action to provide customers with the different pricing rates.

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What? The entire premise was that it is cheaper at night. Thanks for jumping into the middle of the convo though and trying to jerk the wheel.

Settle down. A lot of the U.S. doesn't have time-differentiated rates.

And that has precisely squat to do with my intrigue into looking at a system like this. If it didn't make sense, I wouldn't be interested. So what's your point exactly?

> If it didn't make sense, I wouldn't be interested.

It may or may not make sense depending on your location. Many utilities would prefer to make customer-owned solar a very poor financial choice thru rate design (e.g. very high minimum charges, per-kw-installed solar charges, low daytime rates relative to evening rates, wholesale-rate compensation for exported production, etc). Some succeed.

And much of that does is nowhere near the real cost differences. I might see a difference on/off peak price difference of 0.05 on a $0.40/kwh, but wholesale prices fluctuate from negative prices at peak to much higher rates.

If you claim is that "An individual can take action now" by installing a battery to charge at lower rate, then the question of if they can actually purchase power at that lower rate is fundamental.

If household power purchase price doesnt change with time/generation cost, then there is not ability to act faster than the power company.

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