Discussion with a friend on rail transport

[neroden]

I just heard on our local radio station that our "local" power company PNM has reported that the San Juan power-generating plant (coal-fired) shuttering will be done before the renewable energy generating power "plants" (or whatever they would be called) will be on-line. They are looking for other sources, but people are now worried about energy shortages next summer. Shudder. This whole closing thing has been in the works for almost as long as I've lived here. I don't know/understand why they couldn't have made sure the renewable sources were on-line before they started taking the coal one off-line.

The solar farms were all scheduled to be up before San Juan came down. One of the four solar farms is already up and running. One is delayed by land acquisition issues. The other two are delayed primarily by supply chain issues caused by the pandemic; they're going to be partway operational, though not fully operational. (Good thing about solar panels, they're modular -- they'll install as many as they receive.)

I wouldn't worry about power outages unless something else happens. They're going from 13% margin of oversupply to 5% margin of oversupply and that's what they're worried about.

https://www.kunm.org/post/mon-supply-chain-problems-threaten-utilitys-power-supplies-more

 

[toddinde]

Your friend is entirely correct, of course. They're just describing what every other developed country in the world, and some underdeveloped countries, *already did*.

Our bonkers political system at the federal level does not currently allow this to happen.

It's off topic to discuss the major political changes necessary to make it possible for the US to act like a modern developed nation. (Abolish the Senate.)

That’s ultimately the right answer. But we may have to develop a public private partnership that does the same thing. States already have. In Wisconsin, the lines operated by Wisconsin and Southern are state owned. In some years, they’re profitable. Some years they lose money. But they’re economically essential to a state that’s retained a lot of small manufacturing. The small subsidy keeps the rail service intact and the right of way maintained to a standard that wouldn’t be commercially supportable. Essentially, highways and aviation are similarly supported in this country, though they receive billions in subsidies.

 

[87YJ]

Guess I was raised to not fear things, nuclear never scared me as the fuel was from the ground and when done back to the ground(safely). But some want to make fear out of it, others enjoyed the power. Three mile Island was a problem back east, so was the plant on a fault line in CA on the coast.
Not a perfect world, nor will it ever be!

 

[neroden]

That’s ultimately the right answer. But we may have to develop a public private partnership that does the same thing.

My brain went, "A public private partnership to abolish the Senate?" and then I figured out what you meant.

States already have.

Indeed. Line by line purchases by states, in my opinion, have been the source of most progress in passenger rail in the US.

Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina all own very significant amounts of rail trackage (sometimes through various state-owned agencies and state-owned companies), while local government agencies own large amounts of track in Pennsylvania and Illinois; and ownership has generally been the first step in passenger improvements in all these places. Local and state agencies also own substantial trackage in Florida and California.

 

[Barb Stout]

The solar farms were all scheduled to be up before San Juan came down. One of the four solar farms is already up and running. One is delayed by land acquisition issues. The other two are delayed primarily by supply chain issues caused by the pandemic; they're going to be partway operational, though not fully operational. (Good thing about solar panels, they're modular -- they'll install as many as they receive.)

I wouldn't worry about power outages unless something else happens. They're going from 13% margin of oversupply to 5% margin of oversupply and that's what they're worried about.

https://www.kunm.org/post/mon-supply-chain-problems-threaten-utilitys-power-supplies-more

Thanks for the extra information. I do feel a bit better, but still uneasy as I can't handle heat very well (I really should move, I suppose) and because "Utility executives are "very concerned" about it, although the company does expect to lock in deals with power suppliers in time to meet consumer demand next summer, said Vice President for Generation Tom Fallgren.

"Do I lose sleep over it? Yes," Fallgren recently told the state Public Regulation Commission. "Do I think we'll solve it? Yes."

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks for the extra information. I do feel a bit better, but still uneasy as I can't handle heat very well (I really should move, I suppose) and because "Utility executives are "very concerned" about it, although the company does expect to lock in deals with power suppliers in time to meet consumer demand next summer, said Vice President for Generation Tom Fallgren.

"Do I lose sleep over it? Yes," Fallgren recently told the state Public Regulation Commission. "Do I think we'll solve it? Yes."

Don't move to Texas where it's Hotter n He'll for 6 months, and we Freeze in the Winter when the Power Grid goes down,and the Water Systems Freeze up thanks to our Do Nothing "Sensible Government!"

 

[Barb Stout]

Don't move to Texas where it's Hotter n He'll for 6 months, and we Freeze on the Winter when the Power Grid goes down,and the Water Systems Freeze up thanks to our do Nothing "Sensible Government!"

Yeah, Texan government these days does seem to be like "Let's chop off all our hands and feet and then we'll have FREEDOM!"

 

[87YJ]

So the state of Texas owns the power grid? interesting.

 

[neroden]

Don't move to Texas where it's Hotter n He'll for 6 months, and we Freeze in the Winter when the Power Grid goes down,and the Water Systems Freeze up thanks to our Do Nothing "Sensible Government!"

Yeah. ERCOT (which runs power in most of Texas) was very proud of not having any significant interconnections with the rest of the US electricity grid, and of being the only place in the country which didn't require wind turbines to be weatherproofed, and of being the only place which didn't require coal power plants to be protected against frost, and of... you get the picture. No regulations, low costs, no redundancy... you get what you pay for

 

[Devil's Advocate]

When the national grid was being regulated most of Texas severed connections with neighboring states to create an energy island where almost anything goes. In a rather predictable fashion our isolated grid's stability has fallen behind the rest of the country over time and we've come within seconds of catastrophic collapse more than once. I'm talking about a total system meltdown that would require years of repair work at an astronomical cost to ratepayers. Even without a complete system failure many lost power for days or weeks and some faced bills of up to $15,000 while others were saddled with decades of surcharges.

 

[jis]

Yeah. ERCOT (which runs power in most of Texas) was very proud of not having any significant interconnections with the rest of the US electricity grid, and of being the only place in the country which didn't require wind turbines to be weatherproofed, and of being the only place which didn't require coal power plants to be protected against frost, and of... you get the picture. No regulations, low costs, no redundancy... you get what you pay for

Afterall, they were planning to seceded and sail off to the equator ..... or something like that. Afterall, they are Texas, capable of Texas sized idiocy all along

Good thing is they do give considerable cover to Florida

 

[dwebarts]

Good thing is they do give considerable cover to Florida

They still need to get more of the "Florida Man" juice, though Abbott is doing what he can to encourage the competition.