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Two other points that need to be considered in parallel with feed-in tariffs are
  • Existing subsidies for fossil fuel. It's fine to complain about feed-in tariffs, but to be fair, one should spend time arguing agains the existing setup in proportion to the money involved.
  • Conservation. Demand per person needs to fall. The West in general spends way too much energy due to lousy residential construction, poorly managed transportation, expectations that houses will always be maintained at 21 degrees 52 weeks a year, etc.
by asdf on Sat Jan 7th, 2012 at 02:59:57 PM EST
Eh, okay, this is going to have to become a seperate diary because I have quite a lot to say on this. But letting prices on electricity go up, and planning for a future with overall lower electricity consumption is very climate unfriendly, because it neglegts that electricity is currently not the bulk of our carbon emissions, and all sensible plans for dealing with all the rest involve moving energy uses onto the grid.
by Thomas on Sun Jan 8th, 2012 at 04:21:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
But why would increasing reliance on power generated and sold to the utility at a capped price increase electricity prices?

After all, a major factor in the discrimination in favor of natural gas generating capacity is that the generating capacity in question can be profitable at lower capacity utilization rates. Its accommodation to a smaller share of power being generated by fossil fuels.

For electric rail, both freight and passenger, a substantial part of the operating cost benefit of electric power is greater efficiency ~ even at similar cost per unit of energy, they would be less expensive to operate than liquid fueled cars and trucks.

And its hard to see how electric cars would be biased to using power during periods when a substantial share of natural gas fired power is required as balancing load.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.

by BruceMcF (agila61 at netscape dot net) on Sun Jan 8th, 2012 at 06:22:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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