Comment Re: Unbelievable (Score 1) 579
Stop saying "free storage". It's not. There are two things. First, the power co doesn't "store" those electrons, they SELL THEM. It's more like a loan, and you're the bank.
To the homeowner it is storage - I generate more power than I need during the day and I'm allowed to use that excess power in the evenings. Without the power company and their grid, I would have to implement my own storage system with batteries. Regardless of how the electricity utility balances it on their side, they are providing me the service of electricity storage.
Second, they power co benefits from your electrons. During peak times, which is generally when the sun is shining and people have their AC cranked, the power co would normally have to send tons of power out, losing a TON in the transmission due to capacitance and resistance loss. Until we get superconducting wiring to the transformers, they suffer loss. But when someone sends power to a nearby neighbor, far fewer electrons are lost and the power company charges them the full amount, yet would have to send far more energy from the power plant if not for that neighbor.
They benefit only if they need those electrons at the time I'm putting them there. If they can't count on my power generation (which they can't), then they still have pay for the electricity from a traditional source (e.g. coal-fired power plant).