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Westinghouse 12500 Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator, Remote Electric Start, Transfer Switch Ready, Gas and Propane Powered

When HN users recommended it

1 HN user recommended this between 2021 and 2022, in 2 comments.

20072026

Each tall tick is one HN user's first recommendation. A short tick is the same user again. Click a tick to jump to the comment.

What HN users said

hippich linked amazon.com View on HN

Before the freeze, I ordered this generator - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q1DLKBG/ (yet to receive it tho)

As stated on the website, it can provide 9.5kWh per half a gallon, which is about $1 in Texas right now. Which becomes about 10c/kWh or $100/MW.

Question is - why we do not hear stories about homeowners selling their gas-generated electricity into the grid and capturing the difference between $0.1/kWh and $9/kWh?

hippich again linked amazon.com View on HN

It is probably nitpicking on the "market" word, but...

About 1-2 weeks before the storm I ordered 10kW gas generator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q1DLKBG for about $1350 (it is cheaper now because there is no storm coming :))

It uses about 0.9 gal/hour to produce 9.5kW (let's round to 10kW). This is real output as I powered the whole house with it, including 7.5kW electric HVAC heating element that are switched on when temperature falls below heat pumps' ability to pump heat from the outside (we do not have propane/natural gas.)

0.9 gal was probably like $2.5, meaning 1kW cost me just 25c vs regular price of about 11 cents when getting electricity from the grid.

Considering that people were paying $9/kW prices to the Griddy (https://www.vox.com/2021/2/20/22292926/texas-high-electric-b...) and the like, that $1,350 suddenly became a very attractive option. Except yes, you have to overbuild and not put efficiency at the top.

Furthermore, if electricity "market" was indeed a market, I would imagine there would be plenty of people ready to plug their generators to feed the grid. (i know it is not as straightforward of just plugging it into the grid and starting, but between $.25/kW and $9/kW I am sure solution could be found.)

Also, that "market" was forced to cap prices at $9/kW. The real market price was probably much-much higher.

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