When we build our next house in a couple of years... it will not be connected to the grids.
A lot of people think that's easy. Reality is that the amount of solar generation that is needed to power what our lifestyles demand is huge. Now, add in a few cloudy days when there's no solar to be had and things get troubling. Short days in the winter and extreme cold, even more. Need some Wind generation as well, but more $$$.
In the end, no matter WHAT way you price it out...
grid electricity is still comparatively dirt cheap, which is why most peoples "off the grid" dreams die quickly when they realize that the payback/breakeven is in the 30-50 year range. In scenarios where large banks of batteries reach end of life on a semi regular basis, some may NEVER achieve break even vs what grid power would have cost.
My question is why do we even export power when it costs us money? Just do random laser shows at CN tower and niagara falls when you have excess power...
Nuclear plants can't easily (and rapidly) be ramped up and down, and their energy needs to go *somewhere*. If it's not being consumed in province, it needs to be sent elsewhere that *can* take it on short notice - neighboring US states that are often relying on fossil fuel plants (that can more easily be ramped down when our excess comes their way) are often willing to oblige, but yeah, we get hosed on the deal.
Unfortunately until OPG comes up with some method to store the otherwise excess electricity, "just do some laser shows" isn't a viable solution. We're taking countless megawatts here, not a few hundred watts that can be consumed by a few hundred homes turning on a space heater overnight.
As EV's increase in popularity the overnight surpluses will rapidly shrink however since most EV owners charge during the overnight hours when off-peak rates are in place.