FT: Is the world falling out of love with US brands?

"Miguel Cruz" wrote in message
...
Mxsmanic wrote:
The arrangement in France is somewhat less favorable. If you generate
your own electricity, you are _required_ to sell it to the national
electric company, at whatever price is decreed for such purchase. I
presume this means that you can use your own electricity, but any excess
_must_ be sold.

What does it mean "any excess must be sold"? If I am generating too much
electricity and so I leave an extra light on, will the French power board
come down and replace that light bulb with a connector to their grid? What
if I use it to recharge batteries? What is an excess and what would I
otherwise do with it?

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Why not sell it, it is excess. If my home solar panels are producing more
than I need, let them pay me.

Calif Bill wrote:
"Miguel Cruz" wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote:
The arrangement in France is somewhat less favorable. If you generate
your own electricity, you are _required_ to sell it to the national
electric company, at whatever price is decreed for such purchase. I
presume this means that you can use your own electricity, but any excess
_must_ be sold.

What does it mean "any excess must be sold"? If I am generating too much
electricity and so I leave an extra light on, will the French power board
come down and replace that light bulb with a connector to their grid? What
if I use it to recharge batteries? What is an excess and what would I
otherwise do with it?

Why not sell it, it is excess. If my home solar panels are producing more
than I need, let them pay me.

Oh, I agree. I just find odd the idea of compelling people to sell the
"excess", when they have to use it or sell it anyway (unless they give it
away, I guess).

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Calif Bill wrote:
"Miguel Cruz" wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote:
The arrangement in France is somewhat less favorable. If you generate
your own electricity, you are _required_ to sell it to the national
electric company, at whatever price is decreed for such purchase. I
presume this means that you can use your own electricity, but any excess
_must_ be sold.

What does it mean "any excess must be sold"? If I am generating too much
electricity and so I leave an extra light on, will the French power board
come down and replace that light bulb with a connector to their grid? What
if I use it to recharge batteries? What is an excess and what would I
otherwise do with it?

Why not sell it, it is excess. If my home solar panels are producing more
than I need, let them pay me.

Oh, I agree. I just find odd the idea of compelling people to sell the
"excess", when they have to use it or sell it anyway (unless they give it
away, I guess).

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

"nitram" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 01:02:05 -0600, (Miguel Cruz)
wrote:

Calif Bill wrote:
"Miguel Cruz" wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote:
The arrangement in France is somewhat less favorable. If you
generate
your own electricity, you are _required_ to sell it to the national
electric company, at whatever price is decreed for such purchase. I
presume this means that you can use your own electricity, but any
excess
_must_ be sold.

What does it mean "any excess must be sold"? If I am generating too
much
electricity and so I leave an extra light on, will the French power
board
come down and replace that light bulb with a connector to their grid?
What
if I use it to recharge batteries? What is an excess and what would I
otherwise do with it?

Why not sell it, it is excess. If my home solar panels are producing
more
than I need, let them pay me.

Oh, I agree. I just find odd the idea of compelling people to sell the
"excess", when they have to use it or sell it anyway (unless they give it
away, I guess).

Isn't it because the govt. subsidies the solar panels etc. and because
the panels produce electricity, when a house least needs it?
--
Martin

The subsidy is in tax breaks. And my house uses power during the day, as
well as most of the country. My pool pump loves electricity, and since you
get paid for the excess over the month, you can use more than you are
producing during the night and still come out ahead. But the excess in the
day may be burned by all those Cisco servers speeding lots of stupid
newsgroup comments around the world.

"nitram" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 01:02:05 -0600, (Miguel Cruz)
wrote:

Calif Bill wrote:
"Miguel Cruz" wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote:
The arrangement in France is somewhat less favorable. If you
generate
your own electricity, you are _required_ to sell it to the national
electric company, at whatever price is decreed for such purchase. I
presume this means that you can use your own electricity, but any
excess
_must_ be sold.

What does it mean "any excess must be sold"? If I am generating too
much
electricity and so I leave an extra light on, will the French power
board
come down and replace that light bulb with a connector to their grid?
What
if I use it to recharge batteries? What is an excess and what would I
otherwise do with it?

Why not sell it, it is excess. If my home solar panels are producing
more
than I need, let them pay me.

Oh, I agree. I just find odd the idea of compelling people to sell the
"excess", when they have to use it or sell it anyway (unless they give it
away, I guess).

Isn't it because the govt. subsidies the solar panels etc. and because
the panels produce electricity, when a house least needs it?
--
Martin

The subsidy is in tax breaks. And my house uses power during the day, as
well as most of the country. My pool pump loves electricity, and since you
get paid for the excess over the month, you can use more than you are
producing during the night and still come out ahead. But the excess in the
day may be burned by all those Cisco servers speeding lots of stupid
newsgroup comments around the world.

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 06:04:45 GMT, Calif Bill wrote:

"nitram" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 01:02:05 -0600, (Miguel Cruz)
wrote:

Calif Bill wrote:
"Miguel Cruz" wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote:
The arrangement in France is somewhat less favorable. If you
generate
your own electricity, you are _required_ to sell it to the national
electric company, at whatever price is decreed for such purchase. I
presume this means that you can use your own electricity, but any
excess
_must_ be sold.

What does it mean "any excess must be sold"? If I am generating too
much
electricity and so I leave an extra light on, will the French power
board
come down and replace that light bulb with a connector to their grid?
What
if I use it to recharge batteries? What is an excess and what would I
otherwise do with it?

Why not sell it, it is excess. If my home solar panels are producing
more
than I need, let them pay me.

Oh, I agree. I just find odd the idea of compelling people to sell the
"excess", when they have to use it or sell it anyway (unless they give it
away, I guess).

Isn't it because the govt. subsidies the solar panels etc. and because
the panels produce electricity, when a house least needs it?
--
Martin

The subsidy is in tax breaks. And my house uses power during the day, as
well as most of the country. My pool pump loves electricity, and since you
get paid for the excess over the month, you can use more than you are
producing during the night and still come out ahead. But the excess in the
day may be burned by all those Cisco servers speeding lots of stupid
newsgroup comments around the world.

In Austria the subsidy is in the grants the government give you when you
buy the system. They pay around half the bill, depending on certain
conditions. There are no tax breaks. You also have the choice, EITHER sell
all the electricity you generate to the grid and be paid for it, OR
disconnect from the grid entirely and you can use all the power you make
(but you have to store it yourself).


--
Tim C.

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 13:52:46 +0100, nitram wrote:

On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 13:28:50 +0100, Tim Challenger
wrote:

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 06:04:45 GMT, Calif Bill wrote:

"nitram" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 01:02:05 -0600, (Miguel Cruz)
wrote:

Calif Bill wrote:
"Miguel Cruz" wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote:
The arrangement in France is somewhat less favorable. If you
generate
your own electricity, you are _required_ to sell it to the national
electric company, at whatever price is decreed for such purchase. I
presume this means that you can use your own electricity, but any
excess
_must_ be sold.

What does it mean "any excess must be sold"? If I am generating too
much
electricity and so I leave an extra light on, will the French power
board
come down and replace that light bulb with a connector to their grid?
What
if I use it to recharge batteries? What is an excess and what would I
otherwise do with it?

Why not sell it, it is excess. If my home solar panels are producing
more
than I need, let them pay me.

Oh, I agree. I just find odd the idea of compelling people to sell the
"excess", when they have to use it or sell it anyway (unless they give it
away, I guess).

Isn't it because the govt. subsidies the solar panels etc. and because
the panels produce electricity, when a house least needs it?
--
Martin

The subsidy is in tax breaks. And my house uses power during the day, as
well as most of the country. My pool pump loves electricity, and since you
get paid for the excess over the month, you can use more than you are
producing during the night and still come out ahead. But the excess in the
day may be burned by all those Cisco servers speeding lots of stupid
newsgroup comments around the world.

In Austria the subsidy is in the grants the government give you when you
buy the system. They pay around half the bill, depending on certain
conditions. There are no tax breaks. You also have the choice, EITHER sell
all the electricity you generate to the grid and be paid for it, OR
disconnect from the grid entirely and you can use all the power you make
(but you have to store it yourself).

AFAIR the Dutch subsidy stopped when it was discovered most subsidised
solar panels were used to run fridges in allotment sheds, so that
gardeners could keep their beer cold.

:-) That's really unfair. And a bloody good use for them it is, I'd say.

--
Tim C.

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 11:42:30 +0100, Magda wrote:

... Yes or maybe on a fishing boat trolling for red herrings off the
... Doggerel Bank.

LOL!

--
Tim C.

On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 18:13:31 +0100, nitram wrote:

On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 13:35:03 +0100, Tim Challenger
wrote:

On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 11:42:30 +0100, Magda wrote:

... Yes or maybe on a fishing boat trolling for red herrings off the
... Doggerel Bank.

LOL!

Oy! I wrote that and I'm proud of it.

Sorry, it should have said "Magda quoted nitram ...." :-)
I didn't have your post on my server to reply to, only Magda's, and these
news clients with automatic naming can be too clever.
--
Tim C.

On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 14:06:57 +0100, nitram wrote:

I didn't have your post on my server to reply to, only Magda's, and these
news clients with automatic naming can be too clever.

Change your news server to news.Individual.net fast, free and reliable

I might do that even. My current server is generally good enough. I wish
I'd found your one before I signed up to it.
--
Tim C.