“Rob, you certainly have the right to participate in the discussion but it is clear to me (and others) that you do not understand how the ERCOT market actually functions. Instead you spout off free market economic theories without getting down and dirty into the details of how to apply them to power systems. In the real world the devil is in the details.” (Robert Borlick, below)
“Rob, why are you shilling for the natural gas industry?” (Borlick, below)
Welcome to the political economy of electricity from the expert/planner viewpoint. Electricity is different. Its complexity requires central planning/regulation. The free market does not work. Ergo, free-market theories do not apply.
Bottom line: Experts/planners/regulators/politicians must get “down and dirty into the details of how to apply them to power systems.”
Previous posts (here and here) have chronicled my interaction with electricity planning experts in the wake of the Great Texas Power Blackout of February 2021.…
“Since 2015, nearly 300 government entities from Vermont to Hawaii have moved to reject or restrict wind projects. Local governments are implementing a panoply of regulations to restrict the growth of wind projects including strict limits on noise, minimum setback distances, and even seeking licenses for heliports. A thorough review of the studies [has] documented the deleterious health impacts of noise from wind turbines.” (Robert Bryce, below)
MasterResource has followed the growing issue of negative health effects of industrial wind turbines. The latest was an update (March 18, 2021) from acoustical engineer Stephen Cooper regarding vibrations and infrasound (low frequency noise) from wind turbines on nearby residents.
Cooper, part of the wind power debate since his pioneering study of the Cape Bridgewater Wind Farm in southwest Victoria in Australia in 2014 (also see here), is a scientist to watch.…
“[Fire chief Palmer] Buck said the advent and rising popularity of electrical cars presents new, unique challenges to firefighters who respond to crashes involving the vehicles, including high-powered batteries not normally seen outside of factory or industrial settings as well as a maze of electrical wiring that can still be live and shock first responders.”
It crashed and burned, and it took more than 23,000 gallons of water to finally extinguish the lithium-ion battery.
So do you still want to buy a Tesla for a status upgrade?
Maybe your loved ones will say: don’t spend the extra money and the time searching for recharging stations when it is not safe. Accidents do happen, but can Tesla be trusted with its promises for driverless technology?
The lesson of the story is that government intervention to force inferior technology onto the market has not only anticipated but also unanticipated consequences.…