edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Most people can’t move just like that. The influx of people in CO is mostly driven by those who can work remotely, can find job easily.
Electric grid and price of home electric?
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My dad was one of them. I didn't find out that he never got a raise until after he passed away and I was going through the files. That same company then laid him off a few years later, and he had a hell of a time finding a new job because the Washington, DC area isn't exactly a good place for an A&P (aircraft) mechanic to find a new job. Ended up taking a job with a local company at less than half his original pay.
That was years ago where you couldn't easily find out the cost of living differences between areas. I don't think companies are able to get away with this as much today.
Quite a few people that worked with my dad at O'Hare maintaining corporate aircraft for a large company (which makes several products that everyone on this board uses) moved to the Washington, DC area so they could continue maintaining aircraft for that same company at Dulles.
I have no idea what rainbows and unicorns that company promised their workers to get them to make the move, but they all got laid off a few years later.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Depends on job. I got job in Colorado Springs, my wife picked up and kept working from here for hospital in San Diego. Been like that since 2014.
That is not a smart move.
Sure you can. You can do whatever you want. You just have to have the desire to move to where you want to live. And set up a plan to execute it. I was born, and grew up in the Midwest. (Chicago & suburbs). Went to school there, had the only friends I've ever known in my life there. Served my apprenticeship there, and worked over 16 years at the only job of consequence I ever had or knew.
Do you think all of that was easy to walk away from? It was the hardest and scariest thing I've ever done in my life. Moving almost 2,000 miles west to a city where I didn't know a single sole. No friends or relatives. Not even a job.
It was the biggest risk I ever took in my entire life. It turned out to be the best thing I ever did in my life. I found good work, (after starting and quitting several jobs). And finally settled in, and ended up retiring at 62. And was never happier.
You can do whatever you want in life. You just have to prepare yourself accordingly. Nothing happens, "just like that". Except for perhaps car accidents or cancer.
JHZR2
Staff member
Cheaped out is one way to look at it. I’m a believer that small, low cost systems would make a big impact. The issue is that the installers make it too expensive to do a few panels here and there.
Many folks could see a reasonable dent in consumption with just a few panels, and the commodity cost of that vs a full system is a significant delta. $40k solar systems are a crazy “investment” for many. And in places with lots of trees, may not be viable.
The utility direct connects micro inverter solar to their local,distribution, but a homeowner has to pay thousands of dollars for meters and switchgear to do the same.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Man, I moved 8,000 miles, you are assuming too much.
Yet, most people don’t and can’t move just like that for various reasons.
I don’t lecture them how I moved and what it took.
Assumption is mother of all screw ups.
It's not that they can't. They simply don't want to bad enough.
Nothing is that simple. I cared for my folks for 20 years; I couldn't even leave town for more than a week. We also visited my widowed Mother in law once a week; a 90 mile drive each way.
I salute you for doing what worked for you, but each of us has our own story.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Again, read my take on assumption.
Practically speaking, the aerodynamic loss will wipe out all the solar range gain on average, plus more if you actually have to buy the panel and install them / connect them.
One thing I know for sure: without time of use rate plan there will be no way we can get the grid (not the generation always) to soak up all the electricity demand and supply. Smart meter is a great invention despite many people do not like it. As long as you can meter the usage you can convince people to shift their loads around, things like drying clothes, charging EVs, etc.
I do believe a lot of industrial consumption would be moving closer and closer to power sources and directly tap into the plant next to them, without going into the grid, to avoid all these "fees" that cost almost as much as the generation. Your internet may be slightly slower (because your local data center is now moving next to a solar farm, and your 3 months old emails are moving to Iceland), maybe our society will fall back to the old days where population eventually move close to water source, but now moving closer to electricity source?
I can see new CCGT and data centers moving closer to natural gas field, on containers, so they can just burn it on-site instead of pumping through pipeline to near residential area.
I do believe a lot of industrial consumption would be moving closer and closer to power sources and directly tap into the plant next to them, without going into the grid, to avoid all these "fees" that cost almost as much as the generation. Your internet may be slightly slower (because your local data center is now moving next to a solar farm, and your 3 months old emails are moving to Iceland), maybe our society will fall back to the old days where population eventually move close to water source, but now moving closer to electricity source?
I can see new CCGT and data centers moving closer to natural gas field, on containers, so they can just burn it on-site instead of pumping through pipeline to near residential area.
The electric co-op here (owned by those it serves) installs load management switches on electric water heaters and central air conditioners, so they can turn these off during times of peak load (they cycle 1/4 of the load management switches off during each 15 minute period in an hour).
They've been installing them for YEARS. They had them back in the early 90s, and probably in the 80s too.
I took one apart in the early 90s.
As I recall, it had 16 jumpers to set it's address (giving 65,535 combinations) and a wire antenna.
I think it received the POCSAG paging protocol on a frequency in the 400MHz band.
The unit was made by Scientific Atlanta, the same people who made cable boxes. I forget who Scientific Atlanta sold that business to, but it isn't Cisco.
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I never said it was simple. Far from it. I said it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done in my life. But it can be done. It takes a lot of sacrifice and determination.
Coupled with financial risk. For many they don't want to take that risk. It's too much to equal out on the reward side. That I can accept. But not, "they can't".
The problem with all of these, "use vs. demand plans", is it doesn't solve the problem. It's like putting off fixing a slow leak in a tire. If you don't, sooner or later it's going to catch up with you, and your going to have even bigger problems. This is where we are today with the overall electrical grid in this country.
We've been basically neglecting it for eons. And we just keep demanding more and more from it. People keep building bigger and bigger homes, and more of them.
We are buying more electrically powered equipment. Lawn mowers and other electrical garden tools, to replace these terrible gasoline powered items, that we have used for decades successfully..... But now we're told they're going to destroy our environment if we don't stop.
Same with "odd / even" outdoor watering days to "conserve water". And putting restrictors in shower heads that accomplish nothing, except making you waste more time showering, because now you can't get the soap out of your hair.
All In some stupid, futile attempt to try and save on water usage. It just draws the problem out, instead of solving it. The fact is X amount of people are going to need X amount of water and electricity. Always have, and always will. The longer time passes, the more there will be, and the more they will need.
The only proper cure is to build enough power plants, (nuclear, coal, oil, and natural gas fired), and drill enough wells, and lay enough pipe to provide it... NOW.
Most states, cities, and municipalities don't have the money. Or else have too many idiots running blocker for them. Who all think we'll destroy the world unless we cover it with solar panels, and don't burn another ounce of fossil fuel. Neither of which is EVER going to happen.
We don't have the money mostly because it's been wasted on other things. They can't rob Peter to pay Paul, because Peter has already been fleeced. So they resort to this type of crap, in order to allow them to kick the can further down the road.... Until someone else has to deal with it.
That's where we're at now. Add in millions of EV's, along with bigger homes with bigger A/C units, and the rubber band that has been stretched to its limit, is about to break. Many times the only cure is the most painful one.
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