[Vwdiesel] EPA things

[Erik Lane]

On Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 1:01 PM,  <LBaird119 at aol.com> wrote:
>
> In a message dated 2/8/2012 12:35:10 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
> tadc at europa.com writes:
>
> also  electrical grid demand is
> *extremely* peaky, meaning that the majority of  generation capacity is
> unused/surplus most of the time.  Thus,  charging your car/running your
> train/drying your clothes/heating your water  during offpeak hours is
> using surplus power and very cheap.
>
>
>  I always thought all the automatic switching, selling across the  grid,
> etc was
> to prevent over generation and keep it close to demand?  Not to  mention
> the
> internal governing to keep generator speed matching the load.   Otherwise
> they'd
> over or under spin and throw the 60hz off.
>   Loren

Yes, the automatic switching and selling power is used to keep
generation matched to demand. It has to match exactly, or there are
voltage fluctuations. The reduced price for power at night is because
the electric companies have excess capacity at night vs during the
day, and it's cheaper and easier on equipment to keep it running
rather than ramping up during the day and down at night.

The generator speed has to be exactly correct for the right frequency
power to come out, and it just depends on the construction of the
generator. Unless you're doing some power electronics stuff to mess
with it. The voltages and currents on the grid are more a result of
varying loads and generations rather than the speed that they are
turning.

Also, almost every comparison of electricity use in an electric car
vs. gas use in a gas car has been very biased against the electric
car. The electricity generation was counted against the electric car,
but none of the energy and fuel used to pump the oil, transport it,
refine it, transport it again, and then pump the gas into the car at
the pump were counted against the gas engine. Those are significant
energy uses, and make a huge difference in the final picture. (Of
course the fuel to make the electricity, if it's not renewable, will
also need some of those inputs, but not all of them.) I'm not saying
that gas is bad and electricity is good, I'm just saying that it's not
nearly as simple as it is often painted.

Erik