• humanspiral@lemmy.ca
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    3 days ago

    First 0 nuclear reactors will be built anywhere in US before 2035.

    Texas is actually a renewables leader because, believe it or not, it has the least corrupt grid/utility sector, and renewables are the best market solution.

    Even with 24/7 datacenter needs, near site solar + 4 hour batteries is quicker to build than fossil fuel plants and long transmission, and it also allows an eventual small grid connection to both provide overnight resilience from low transmission utilization fossil fuel as peakers anywhere in the state as well as export clean energy on sunnier days.

    Market solutions, despite hostile governments, can reduce fossil fuel electricity even with massive demand surge. One of the more important market effects is that reliance of mass fossil fuel electricity expansion and expensive long high capacity transmission, would ensure a high captive cost at high fuel costs because of mass use, in addtion to extorting all regular electricity consumers. Solar locks in costs forever, including potentially reducing normal consumer electricity costs.

    • cibco@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      “The least corrupt/utility sector” I must be thinking of the wrong Texas, which one are you referring too?

      • humanspiral@lemmy.ca
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        2 days ago

        Compared to California, where everything is done to increase customer rates, or most other states where long wait lines to connect power occur, you can measure effective corruption by how much energy additions are made, including home solar. You can be critical of their exposure to power system failures, but that doesn’t make the system corrupt.

        • throwback3090@lemmy.nz
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          2 days ago

          Your measure of corruption is what now? How many new things are built regardless of their need or what impacts they may have?

          Very…unique standpoint.

          • humanspiral@lemmy.ca
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            2 days ago

            Just that the lack of cheap energy built/connected is a function of all of the obstacles put in the way of those projects. They get done in Texas more than other places that “put out a better virtue vibe”, but behind the scenes put up obstacles.

            • cibco@lemmy.world
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              2 days ago

              Its interesting how you can only talk positively about Texas by comparing it to others.

              Can you answer this question without comparing Texas to any other state or entity: How is charging hundreds of dollars per kWh during storms in the best interests of the “regular electricity consumers”?

              • humanspiral@lemmy.ca
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                2 days ago

                I recognize that failing, but afaiu, it applied to a limited number of customers who “gambled on variable rates”. The political leadership there also shit talks renewables, putting false blame on them for grid failures, but the actual operational environment still permits a lot of renewable expansion: The basis for calling their system the least corrupt.

                • cibco@lemmy.world
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                  1 day ago

                  So their renewable expansion is so good that it out ways the fact Texas never joined the east or west interconnect?

                  That is the biggest corruption, and it is the whole reason their grid is so unreliable. But iteruptions in sevice can be good for the people making money from the sales if these goods. It’s like racketeering.