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Rolling blackouts in California, or The Failure of Renewable energy.

Grandpappy

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I have nothing against renewable energy sources, but they can't handle the load without fossil fuel generating stations. Due to the environmental wackos in positions of power, we have to import a significant percentage of energy from other states, which is expensive. It's mostly from natural gas plants beyond the borders of the Land of Fruits and Nuts.

A big percentage of the energy here in Southern California comes from a coal fired plant in Arizona. :mrgreen:

They could build power plants here but the wackos won't buy it. Is this not the very definition of stupid behavior? Idiots. WTF happened to common sense?
 
Well we should invest in nuclear energy really. It's the cleanest, safest, most reliable form of energy we have currently.
 
Well a nuclear grid doesn't necessitate putting a nuclear power plant right on a fault line.

On the other hand, if we ever wanted to send California off to the depths of the Pacific Ocean...

(Before anyone freaks out, just a joke.)
 
On the other hand, if we ever wanted to send California off to the depths of the Pacific Ocean...

(Before anyone freaks out, just a joke.)

I've always said that Lex Luthor was the good guy in Superman 1.
 
I have nothing against renewable energy sources, but they can't handle the load without fossil fuel generating stations. Due to the environmental wackos in positions of power, we have to import a significant percentage of energy from other states, which is expensive. It's mostly from natural gas plants beyond the borders of the Land of Fruits and Nuts.

A big percentage of the energy here in Southern California comes from a coal fired plant in Arizona. :mrgreen:

They could build power plants here but the wackos won't buy it. Is this not the very definition of stupid behavior? Idiots. WTF happened to common sense?

it depends on the renewable energy source and how it can be stored. In our state, many people have opted for solar. As I understand it, the issue is that our previous Governor did not want Colorado energy plants to be impacted, so we are not allowed to store and use our own solar power. We have to let it go back into the grid for other people to use, which means when the primary electricity goes out, we also lose power. If we could instead store our own energy in batteries and make use of it throughout our house during a blackout or brownout, it would be far more efficient for my house and many neighboring houses.

While you are correct that the current infrastructure cannot handle excess renewable energy or disperse it as needed, that in itself does not make renewable energy a bad option. We need to update the infrastructure to make it more viable, and in turn, make it safer. Right now, California has to worry about wildfires occurring as a result of a power grid that has been poorly maintained.

Of course, all of that costs money. Currently, we do not see much funding being directed toward cleaner energy. That was not the direction President Trump wanted to send our nation.
 
What Is The Cause Of The Recent Power Blackouts In California?

August 16, 2020/ Francis Menton



  • You may have read in the past few days that residents of California have been experiencing rolling power blackouts.
  • This has occurred in the middle of a strong heat wave, meaning that large numbers of people have had their air conditioning, light, refrigeration, and everything else dependent on electricity, go out just when they are most needed.
  • The blackouts have not been the result of technical failures of the grid, but rather have been intentionally imposed by the electricity system operator (known as CAISO — California Independent System Operator) via the various local utilities.
  • So what has caused these blackouts?
READ MORE

[FONT=&quot]". . . So what has caused these blackouts? The official explanation is that the heat wave is the cause. It has just gotten so unusually hot that demand has risen beyond the capacity of the system. Many articles in the media reporting on the situation go further to associate the unusual heat with “climate change.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]This explanation is complete BS. Yes, there is a strong heat wave going on, at least in certain areas of the state, but it is not unusual in historical context. In fact what is occurring is that California has begun to face the consequences of replacing reliable fossil fuel and nuclear powered electricity with the intermittent renewables, wind and solar. In the evening, approximately 7 to 9 PM, when the sun has set and the heat lingers, and when the demand for electricity for air conditioning reaches a peak, the intermittent wind and solar sources have been producing just about nothing. With insufficient fossil fuel backup, there is not enough power to meet the demand. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In short, we are witnessing the results of almost unbelievable incompetence by the authorities in California. As usual, the equally incompetent and corrupt media are completely giving the authorities a pass in the name of supposedly addressing “climate change.”. . . "[/FONT]
 
[FONT=&quot]Satire[/FONT]
[h=1]The dark side of California – the sunshine state[/h][FONT=&quot]Our resident cartoonist Josh has come up with a political cartoon response to the “rolling blackouts” in California. For some background, see these two WUWT posts: CAISO President: California Power Grid teetering close to the edge of collapse and In CAISO Emergency Break Glass Like his work? Buy him a pint.
[/FONT]
 

Green California Has the Nation’s Worst Power Grid

When high temperatures caused customer demand to exceed the power available, California electrical utilities used rotating outages to force a reduction in demand. The California grid is the worst in the nation, with green energy policies pursued by the state likely furthering reduced grid reliability.
Continue reading →
 
In the UK if we have times where power in somehow limited for whatever reason the power companies pay large energy users like steel mills and the like to go offline for a time.

Does the US have any similar system?
 
In the UK if we have times where power in somehow limited for whatever reason the power companies pay large energy users like steel mills and the like to go offline for a time.

Does the US have any similar system?

Some of our power companies have a little box next to the a/c unit where they can turn you off for a short time during peak times
 
Some of our power companies have a little box next to the a/c unit where they can turn you off for a short time during peak times

I think the UK and US system is pretty much exactly opposite.
The UK system is to turn of the huge using companies first and only then the residential power with the public essentials last.
I may be wrong so please let me know but I think the system in the US is to turn off the residential stuff where they can before stopping any supply to companies.

I'm pretty sure I heard that it was the same with water in Las Vegas where there's been a drought where it's the residents who've had to have cuts in supply while companies still can use as much as they like.

The UK is also rather different in that AC in homes is pretty much unheard of.
 

Green California Has the Nation’s Worst Power Grid

When high temperatures caused customer demand to exceed the power available, California electrical utilities used rotating outages to force a reduction in demand. The California grid is the worst in the nation, with green energy policies pursued by the state likely furthering reduced grid reliability.
Continue reading →

To my understanding, the US leads the world in reduction of green house gas emission.
This was done manly by switching from coal to natural gas as an electrical energy source (coal burning generation plants fairly cost effectively switched over to NG?)
All the while electrical power cost increasing perhaps a little bit.
Why? Fracking has made large sources of NG available at a good market price.

Scary part, The New Green Deal the Democrats / Progressive / Leftists are purporting includes a ban on fracking, so a ban on affordable NG for heating and electrical generation.

So people in the US in the places where it gets cold in the winter get to freeze or go broke or both, in the dark, because we can't afford the electricity either.

Nice.
Gotta love that Leftist Utopia in our future. :2mad:
Ideology over reality. :2mad:
 
To my understanding, the US leads the world in reduction of green house gas emission.
This was done manly by switching from coal to natural gas as an electrical energy source (coal burning generation plants fairly cost effectively switched over to NG?)
All the while electrical power cost increasing perhaps a little bit.
Why? Fracking has made large sources of NG available at a good market price.

Scary part, The New Green Deal the Democrats / Progressive / Leftists are purporting includes a ban on fracking, so a ban on affordable NG for heating and electrical generation.

So people in the US in the places where it gets cold in the winter get to freeze or go broke or both, in the dark, because we can't afford the electricity either.

Nice.
Gotta love that Leftist Utopia in our future. :2mad:
Ideology over reality. :2mad:
Fascinating!
Where are all these natural gas fired power plants located?
What are these fantastical NG cost savings?
Please educate!
 
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To my understanding, the US leads the world in reduction of green house gas emission.
This was done manly by switching from coal to natural gas as an electrical energy source (coal burning generation plants fairly cost effectively switched over to NG?)
All the while electrical power cost increasing perhaps a little bit.
Why? Fracking has made large sources of NG available at a good market price.

Scary part, The New Green Deal the Democrats / Progressive / Leftists are purporting includes a ban on fracking, so a ban on affordable NG for heating and electrical generation.

So people in the US in the places where it gets cold in the winter get to freeze or go broke or both, in the dark, because we can't afford the electricity either.

Nice.
Gotta love that Leftist Utopia in our future. :2mad:
Ideology over reality. :2mad:

By what metric is the US leading the world?
The UK has made great strides in building the worlds largest offshore wind farms (the north sea is famously windy and not super deep so perfect for them) and shutting down all but 3 coal fired power stations which are due to close in the near future but I'm unsure if we lead the world.
 
Well a nuclear grid doesn't necessitate putting a nuclear power plant right on a fault line.

Which didn’t stop them from doing it.
 
By what metric is the US leading the world?
The UK has made great strides in building the worlds largest offshore wind farms (the north sea is famously windy and not super deep so perfect for them) and shutting down all but 3 coal fired power stations which are due to close in the near future but I'm unsure if we lead the world.

They just make it up.

Out of one side of their mouths, they proclaim superiority (regardless of whether it’s true or not)

Out of the other, they attack renewables and dismiss the future out of hand.
 
I have nothing against renewable energy sources, but they can't handle the load without fossil fuel generating stations. Due to the environmental wackos in positions of power, we have to import a significant percentage of energy from other states, which is expensive. It's mostly from natural gas plants beyond the borders of the Land of Fruits and Nuts.

A big percentage of the energy here in Southern California comes from a coal fired plant in Arizona. :mrgreen:

They could build power plants here but the wackos won't buy it. Is this not the very definition of stupid behavior? Idiots. WTF happened to common sense?

One of the many reasons I diverge from the democrats and their fake environmentalism. They can only achieve their blue state ideals by free-riding off adjoining states not doing what they are doing. Solar is only an advantage when the end-consumer is doing the generation. We can throw however billions more at it you want and that will never change.
 
[FONT=&][/FONT]
‘Gaps’ In Renewable Energy Led To Blackouts For Millions Of Californians, Gov Newsom Says

[FONT=&]The elimination of fossil fuel products as a major form of energy production and the shift to solar power and other forms of green energy has led to what Newsom called “gaps” in the energy grid’s reliability, the Democratic governor said during a press conference Monday.
Continue reading →
[/FONT]

This is a temporary issue. Stored energy will eliminate it. That has already been demonstrated.
 
I have nothing against renewable energy sources, but they can't handle the load without fossil fuel generating stations. Due to the environmental wackos in positions of power, we have to import a significant percentage of energy from other states, which is expensive. It's mostly from natural gas plants beyond the borders of the Land of Fruits and Nuts.

A big percentage of the energy here in Southern California comes from a coal fired plant in Arizona. :mrgreen:

They could build power plants here but the wackos won't buy it. Is this not the very definition of stupid behavior? Idiots. WTF happened to common sense?

Not quite true GP. AZ closed the coal fired plant.
"Arizona's Navajo Generating Station, the state's second-largest power plant, closed in 2019, removing 40% of Arizona's coal-fired capacity from service and causing the closure of the state's only operating coal mine."
Arizona - State Energy Profile Overview - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The source of imported electricity more likely comes from Palo Verde Nuclear plant.

Green Energy makes sense. One just needs to work into it. The biggest issue for solar is the energy storage problem.
 
I have nothing against renewable energy sources, but they can't handle the load without fossil fuel generating stations. Due to the environmental wackos in positions of power, we have to import a significant percentage of energy from other states, which is expensive. It's mostly from natural gas plants beyond the borders of the Land of Fruits and Nuts.

A big percentage of the energy here in Southern California comes from a coal fired plant in Arizona. :mrgreen:

They could build power plants here but the wackos won't buy it. Is this not the very definition of stupid behavior? Idiots. WTF happened to common sense?

Better energy transmission technologies can help solve this dilemma in our Republic.
 
The biggest issue for solar is the energy storage problem.

No the biggest issue for commercially generated solar is the storage problem. The government doesn't want end consumers generating their own unless it is grid-tied because it only supports solutions that are taxable.
 
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