The question is what is the ROI if you were to replicate the same system today?
The fact something cost X and paid Y 10 years ago was only a benefit 10 years ago. Kudos to you for taking advantage, but not everyone had such an opportunity.
U.S. electricity price increases by state from 2020
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The fact something cost X and paid Y 10 years ago was only a benefit 10 years ago. Kudos to you for taking advantage, but not everyone had such an opportunity.
Savage
Because we saw this coming
Because we saw this coming
The problem here is these are state wide figures. There are individual electric co-ops all over the South East as far as I know. North & South Carolinas. So even if a 15% increase that for example at our home would mean a raise to 11.5 cents a kWh from 10 cents. We havent had any raises yet since 2020 though we are going to peak pricing and will actually work better for us I think.
,,,
I think the key here is, is it a corporation or government entity supplying your power. OR a homeowner owned non-profit utility supplying your power.
I LOVE THAT CHART THOUGH, after looking at it closer for the Carolinas which happen to be around 50% nuclear. However much of it in line with inflation which is 25% from 2020.
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I agree, data centers should pull their own weight and honestly I can see that fight coming IF EVs become a significant draw too. I think instead of giving commercial customers a break that maybe more heavy users should contribute to build more plants.
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Most EVs are recharged at night when there's an energy surplus. Here in Texas, many providers actually offer free nights plans. It's going to be awhile before EV penetration is impacting daytime energy demand because most purchasers still charge overnight.
The country was deploying substantial generation capacity in the form of renewables, because its cheaper and very quick. But a particular put the brakes on that energy source. Now it's doubtful whether we can keep up with demand. There is a multi-year wait for CNG turbines.
The same system today would not offer a decent return because the rate PG&E pays now is wholesale, approx 4 cents per kWh. I get like 36 cents. Today you need a battery to make it worthwhile, and that basically doubles the cost of the project. Now with current electricity rates continuing to rise, some of my neighbors are doing just that.
I'm not sure I follow your "cost X ..." point. The solar project continues to realize a nice cost saving and will do so for many years going forward. People can pay $200 and more per month for electricity; my bill is next to nothing.
Sure not everyone has the same opportunity. Solar makes sense here, with our many days of sunshine. And I purchased under NEM 2, which offered the better payback for generation. But I researched solar for 5 years and pulled the trigger when it was a huge no-brainer. Solar may not make sense for other geographies, but there are other opportunities if you seek them out. Heck I can be pretty darn envious of the prices many areas pay for energy.
Ya win some and ya lose some, I guess. All good.
You know I see comments like this a lot. What is missing here is only 1.4% of the vehicles on the road are EVs. There is no current (no pun intended) electric demand from EVs at 1.4%
What would one think the demand would be if it was 25%? 50% ? Remember the goal which we know is never going to happen anymore to have 100% With current generating capacity we wont even be capable of 10 or 15%
What I am saying is, if EVs ever become popular on our roadways, there will be no surplus, there will be a deficit at a time when the wind isnt blowing and the sun isnt shining no less. (night time)
We need real generating capacity and that is Nuclear for those worried about CO2 emissions. We also need the capacity to distribute it. So who is going to pay? I would think some kind of tax for EV charging will inevitably be a reality in a decade or two.
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I am not sure crowing is how I feel. Happy about it, sure. I suggest people look towards long term solutions to your earning vs cost scenario. There are answers if we seek them out.It’s year seven. You’ve finally broken even on your initial investment. Now you can crow!
I got lucky with this one; I have been burned on other por project decisions.
My point was that opportunity has passed. So it was an excellent investment for you, but for those who didn't, or couldn't (renters, etc) then the 65% electricity increase in California is real and there is no similar new opportunity for savings at this point.
Don't move. Its only going to get worse - everywhere.
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I think that’s a long way out given current penetration. Data centers are a much bigger problem for the foreseeable future.
The data centers will be off-shored for lack of energy. Which will be an entirely worse problem.
With the finishing of the Site C Dam, BC in Canada has pretty much exhausted their inventory of valleys to flood. Now they just put out contracts for 20 windmill farms, mostly in remote areas of NE BC, far far away from the concentrated population. Pricing is pretty good, basically the equivalent of 7 cents per kWhr USD equivalent, then 10 cents USD equivalent. The billing is based on 2 months. Once the first tier of 7 cent power is used up it jumps to the 2nd tier until the end of two months. Then it resets back to 7 cents. If you have a large house you will blow through the 7 cent power in about a month during the winter. One enviable position is they can mess around with the flow rates through the dams to adjust around the availability of wind. Nothing like a bit of Dunkelflaute.
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Supposedly, data center construction may be the only thing keeping the economy afloat. They don't create many jobs post construction, but the grid upgrade jobs they drive are a good outcome. But my mind we are at peak bubble, like when fiber was getting laid.
Yes, I am guessing your right - we will learn we need much less computing power than they say we do.
However "they" say we need to keep going for 10 years. So how much more dark fiber gets installed before the bubble pops
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Man, if I could predict that, I would be in line to make a killing. I suspect Coreweave and some of these other companies that provide the infrastructure will be the first to go. I don't see what competitive advantage they have over the major AI players, which have billions at their disposal and can build their own infrastructure. Perhaps they plan to sell to someone bigger, but how much will they lose on the way to making that deal?However "they" say we need to keep going for 10 years. So how much more dark fiber gets installed before the bubble pops
Owen Lucas
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What's up with Maine? Someone leave their lightbulb on too long?
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
A particular what?
Yep, OH has gained significant new server farm capacity over just the last few years with these things replacing productive farmland in most of the rural areas in the state.
There is a new one off I-71 which we regularly pass by, don't know whether it's completed and operating yet, and the electric infrastructure built to supply it is daunting to see.
Does anyone else think that this rapid growth in server farm capacity is reminiscent of the dot com boom?
How many of these newly built facilities will we see unused and dark a few years from now?
I suggest this is a different animal.
The dot-com bubble was caused by speculative investment in internet companies, fueled by a belief in future profits despite a lack of actual results. A big problem was betting on orders before fulfillment and requisite use to demonstrate functionality. House of cards...
The bubble was the disconnect between stock prices and real business performance.