Can Solar Energy Reduce High Electricity Costs in California's Central Valley?

[Ivan Seeking]

3.) 1.5W Low Pressure Sodium Lamps (can last a whole year even if on for 24 hours a day):

I need a link to the suggested lights. I don't see anything online that agrees with the information you've posted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_efficacy#Examples
1. ^ "LED or Neon? A scientific comparison". http://www.signweb.com/index.php/channel/12/id/138/.
2. ^ "Why is lightning coloured? (gas excitations)". http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/4.html.
3. ^ a b c d e f Philips Product Catalog (German)
http://www.lighting.philips.com/de_de/tools_downloads/pricelist_lamps/downloads/preisliste_dede_20081023.pdf

I'm asking for a direct link to a sales page for 1.5 watt low-pressure sodium lamp for the home.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I agree that reactive power puts an extra burden on the power lines. And there are some additional I²R losses, however, we don't pay for this directly [in the US], so it isn't a way to save money, and it isn't as simple as you suggest. For example, if we live next door to each other, the reactive power from your appliances could be coupled to that from my appliances, with little reactive load seen at the local transformer.

Just FYI: In the industrial arena, we sometimes consider this in order to balance sections of a plant by reversing phase on similar machines. In this way the reactive power from two systems can cancel out. Note that these are typically three-phase systems. Industry is charged for reactive power. We also consider the higher harmonics, usually resulting from high-power switched-mode systems, which can become signficant mainly due to the total harmonic distortion produced.