Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bullis
nmgolfer and everyone who is thinking about 10 cent electricity,
Brace yourselves; we are in for some real surprises here if either we go to plug-ins in a big way or we impose a requirement on electric power generators to capture 'carbon'.
First, the electric motor efficiency has very little effect on the overall efficiency of operating a power system. The heat engine losses, wherever they occur, are the overwhelming cause of loss in any system.
Second, the cheap electricity that we now enjoy is anchored by the price of coal under any stable governmental system, thus excluding California where we give 11 to 13 cent electricity to most of us at the welfare level of use called 'baseline' usage. For those who really need electricity the price jumps to 29 cents, then 30 cents, then 50 cents. For all of us, that first welfare handout comes at the expense of those who use a lot of electricity. I suggest that when the people of Bakersfield figure out that their air conditioners are no longer affordable, they will be sharpening their pitchforks for our government.
And when the fact that the EVs charged at night in Portola Valley (not a low rent district) will be using power at welfare level pricing, that could be used for running air conditioners in Bakersfield, we might reasonably expect discontent to be expressed.
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Jim,
I'm not worried about carbon taxation or sequestration because neither will ever happen (see I'm an optimist and I believe in the American people) which of course, if it did happen would drive the price of electricity right up and beyond that of liquid fuels (which is exactly what the industrialists behind the global warming scam want to see happen). I'm a big fan of public utilities because they are coops and they can be held accountable unlike big oil and their commodities trading and refinery operating rackets.
We know how to make electricity dozens of ways and burning coal and CH4 are about the dumbest/least effective. I want to see the country go into thorium reactors in big way and make electrons too cheap to meter. Need some real political leadership first and unfortunately that's not happening. Carter is right... had his energy policies stayed in place we'd be much better off today.
Problems boils down to petrol-dollar hegemony but the world is changing... had enough of our lack of leadership... moving on with or with out us.