They have 10 years to pay it off, then another one will hit and another 10 years to pay it off.
Texas Plans EV Chargers Every 50 Miles on Major Highways
- Thread starter buster
- Start date
Chargers every 50 miles? The side of the highway will look like Chic-fil-A at lunch time.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Yes, but it is not any more "a 100-year storm." It is more like "every couple of years storm."
I was talking to my good friend in Dallas a few days ago and when he told me his electric bill, I needed some time to figure out how in the name of God they managed to rack it up so much, regardless of that AC works 24/7. It turns out, that TX model "really works well" for consumers.
My wife works in ERCOT in IT and based on on what I'm hearing often, it is like any other gov related agency, slow, inneficient and lacks motivation. They are not directly responsible for grid or producers,but people blame them as such since they are middleman that suppose to manage things on the top level. Anyway, TX grid has a benefit of choice (think of MVNO resellers, that would be whom are called providers in TX). ONCOR for example is a distributor, they own and service powerlines, poles, wires and so on. And they is uncle Joe that built natural gas power station or windmills in his field-the producer. Providers just buy energy in bulk from producers on "market" and resell to you. Good thing there -competition. When we just moved to TX 5 years ago we had a plan with total price of 9.7c per kw. It just jumper to12.8 and I see now lowest16.4 and going up to 20+c (I use service that does everything for me, shopping around and connecting).This is a downside,providersare trying to recoullosses they occurred during snowpocalypsis, and this summer again (market price jumping to $5 per kw(now capped)). Another downside, since almost no regulation, Uncle Joe the producer will do what most businessman would do, spend less make more. Of course he will not winterize his gas wells and pipes. He does not give a sh&$ if his production will stop( I think now they will penalize them, but there was no significant punishment prior). As to huge bill in Dallas, maybe you friend had a contract with dynamic market price, those are outlawed now. Our friend just moved to San Jose and got fist bill, she was shocked to see about $500 for about 600kw. (Ours was $230 for 1770 kw due to long heat wave). Back when we lived in KY, we had a monopoly. 1 provider and you pay what they told you, no choice. I think I would better have a choice, and think about power backup solutions...
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
I don't know about that, typically where the grid is a crown corporation (certain Canadian provinces) or government run, the prices are significantly cheaper. France has some of the cheapest power in the EU and the vast majority if it is from state-owned nuclear, who also handles all the transmission (EDF). The cheapest power in Canada is from Hydro-Quebec, who has a complete monopoly.
Deregulation in Ontario and the introduction of a "market" and then renewables subsidies, dramatically increased our rates over what we paid before under the old vertically integrated crown corporation, Ontario Hydro.
Fewer moving pieces; fewer pipers to pay, and no requirement for a profit would seem logical in providing power at a lower cost.
Well, don't forget the TX factor. "We are independent, don't thread on me, and so on"
If TX grid would be connected to other states(it is some capacity, but not much). There would be no blackouts and fewer casualties as a result of last the snowpocalypse. But money does not smell, I guess...
There is always something better. Let's see when so-called solid-state batteries come. Ni-Mn drill batteries seemed as state of the art not so long ago...
A hydrogen power plant is one of the options, and it is not solving all the problems as you mentioned. You can't cover all 3 peaks of the triangle at the same time. Cost, Scope, and Time (PM triangle). In our case Cost/Efficiency(env. friendliness)/Time to refill/charge, it covers only the time to refill fuel but will increase cost and pollution. Gotta pick your poison. For me personally what is sympathizing in owning a PHEV or BEV is a reduced OPEX. If there is the benefit of making less pollution at the same time-- great, but that was not a deciding factor. I do miss rowing through gears for example...
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Increased interconnection capacity would certainly help up until the grids you are connected to experience the same issue as you, such as a massive wind lull for example. The main issue, as I believe I articulated earlier in the thread, is insufficient reserve capacity; reserve that's "on the margin" where any sort of unplanned maintenance event can mean inadequate resources.Well, don't forget the TX factor. "We are independent, don't thread on me, and so on"
Ontario has 37,937MW of installed capacity, but our summer peaks are typically about 24,000MW. This gives us a lot of reserve margin to cover for things like nuclear refurbishments (we have three units down for that right now). Much of this capacity is publicly owned, so the fact that it idles a lot is not a big deal. An idled private plant without some sort of PPA or reserve compensation scheme would be bankrupt immediately, which is why Texas doesn't have any.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Right, but my point is that hydrogen is pitched not for its security but for the fact that by burning it, you don't have any emissions. That argument doesn't hold water with its current method of production, and as I mentioned, there is significant cost and logistical challenges associated with hydrogen infrastructure. Until we have a wickedly cheap way to produce hydrogen so that it undercuts methane, it will continue to be a fantasy.
In any large system of variable load and variable production, we will either have to have idle reserve or have to cut off some customers.
Not all customers are equal, especially the industrial one, or the "run this if it is cheap" residential ones. I think one of the goal in the "1 EV 1 gas car per household" scenario is to make EV charging the "run this if it is cheap" scenario, along with laundry dryer and AC duty cycle (don't cool the house as much if kwh is expensive, but cool the house more if it is cheap).
Can't have it both ways, either you have to make prices variable, load variable, or production variable. It is not political and it is not up for arguing.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
I think consumer tolerance for demand management will be low, thus, I expect reserve capacity will ultimately win-out. How long will it take? Guess we'll see.
We were taught in school 20 years ago, that hydrogen is not an energy source, it is a storage medium. No hydrogen is free of bond in nature and you need to find a way to break it from a bond to keep as just H2 to store the energy, and either burn it or run it through a fuel cell to release the energy.
Basically, it is a lousy battery with low density, leak (self discharge), and dangerous (can explode if you are leaking and has a spark). Today's EV is probably faster in charging than a hydrogen pump for cars, easier to find an EV charger than a hydrogen pump, and the EV battery cost less than a hydrogen fuel cell with a smallish auxiliary battery. Yeah, hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is done for.
Hydrogen power plant at scale would be less efficient than a SOFC power plant using the waste heat, and if you don't need the waste heat you are going to waste a lot energy to crack hydrogen from methane or water.
They need to find new application that is also with a big tolerance for demand management.
So far the only obvious thing I can think of is air condition with ice storage for commercial scale, and maybe warehouse scale refrigeration. You need some sort of phase change with low capital cost, and our current heat pump is not hot enough to melt salt, but we are good enough for making ice.
So....
LOL that's going to help TX. they are already having brown outs. This is so poorly planned out it stinks!
Your comment flipped on the lightbulb. Texas has plenty of beef cattle. Cattle produce
which produces methane. Methane could be used to power generators. Hire unemployed people to shovel the stuff. Bartertown Charging Stations.
Maybe a New career for Amber Heard!Your comment flipped on the lightbulb. Texas has plenty of beef cattle. Cattle produce
Bartertown Charging Stations.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
ERCOT is capitalist anomaly. TX went beyond any sense to “prove” that business is always better way. In reality it is Ponzi scheme to make just a little bit more money.
@OVERKILL explained grid abive and how France does it. Adam Smith in wealth of nations argued that capitalism cannot survive without strong government, as some things are outside means of free market (at that time navies).
Regardless of demand, few weeks back administration had to infuse $6 billion into nuclear sector to beef it up. Let alone to talk some excess capacity. France as we speak is building 4 new nuclear reactors. Government owned. I highly doubt anyone would argue France is not capitalist society.
JHZR2
Staff member
NIMBY is the issue around here.
