Beholden to the System

They know it all until they burn their home down due to a creosoted chimney or just a poor install. The Internet is a great place for bad information.

 

Bottom line here is, like it or not, we all get to PAY to play. One way or another. Least I'm getting a 9.5% increase on my SS.

 

The graphic is from the ISO New England website. No narrative. Just the grid regulator providing transparent information. It is the instantaneous supply/demand curve. During peak natural gas demand for heating, they have to switch the dual fuel plants to oil to prevent enacting rolling blackouts. The 25% use of oil was during one of those periods. I agree. It is absurd but that’s where we are in New England in our transition to “green energy”. Your number of “less than 1%” is an average for the year. Most days, oil is 0%. But with rising natural gas costs and supply demand, the use of oil has gone up as the amount of electricity provided by Nuke and Coal continues to decline. You can monitor the grid in New England here.

ISO New England

 

One of the biggest perks to burning wood is an excuse to buy toys.

I think my wife is starting to realize this though

 

9% ss raise- long gone before you even see it partly eaten by medicare increases as well.

 

I got a 2% "raise".

My boss negotiated herself a 16% raise over 3 years since she is on a contract.

 

eons ago I remember the co I worked for gave everyone a 5% increase, Which for me worked out to 12.5 cents per hour -or $20 a month

 

Gee golly, I hope you didn't spend it all in one place
Been there, done that. 5% increases when you're low man to begin with amounts to almost nothing.

 

sounds like my company 5% on nothing still equates to nothing.

 

Would you guys just be grateful for the opportunity!

Now turn around, smile, and perform!

 

This is NH only as of June 2022, which is a much different mix thn for New England in general (our grid is not necessarily tied to your grid). Most is nuclear but 25% of our electricity in generated from NG and 16% by renewables (which surprises me)







Link is here

 

The waste to energy plant in Concord is included in that “renewable” number. And the grid in New England IS tied together and managed by ISO New England. Generators bid into the day ahead and/or real time market and are paid the rate of the highest bid based on the (estimated) demand. The generation percentages on that site don’t necessarily equal the consumption percentages. Electricity flows across state lines as well as to/from neighboring system operators depending on electricity price, availability and demand..

 

Some other interesting information. Adding up the data on this website it appears that as of June 2022, power producers in New England had 1.9 million barrels of oil in storage for power generation. That’s just a little less than they burned (2 million barrels) in the 12 day cold snap in 2017-18.

State Energy Profile Data

According to this website, New Hampshire ranks #2 for installed wind power capacity in New England.

WINDExchange: U.S. Installed and Potential Wind Power Capacity and Generation

this site lists 46 hydroelectric generators in NH. There may be more. I would think that hydroelectric generation is way down this year with the drought. Unfortunately, I would think that hydro electric generation is lowest when it is needed most, in the dead of winter when the water is frozen.

| Low Impact Hydropower

 

Did my response clarify things?

 

Sorry, yes of course electricity flows across state lines. I was actually thinking of something from years ago where NH could be "isolated" during catastrophic failures in other areas (including weather related), which would help keep NH's grid from being affected or unduly drawn on. I don't know why I thought it was pertinent to the conversation, nor do I know if it is still true - so my bad.

I gotta say, trash is renewable because we create tons more of it each day (that is a collective "we").

My town has a small hydro plant about 4 blocks from me. The river has never run out of water (get really, really low - sure). I would guess you are correct that the generation capacity is less during those time. But I can tell you that the water still flows really well during winter.

There are two "wind farms" near me (that I know of); one in Antrim and one on Lempster Mt. Those are small operations, not like out on the prairies where there are real wind farms. The local landfill (which is capped) is now a solar farm - which is a good use for a piece of land that we would not be able to use otherwise.

 

I would consider burning trash for energy to be more of a recycled energy or recovered energy as opposed to a renewable energy. I think of renewable as something that replenishes itself on a relatively short term basis. Wind continues to blow, trees grow, rain replenishes rivers and the sun comes up every day without any input from us. But no one is asking me. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a good way to dispose of our garbage, but I don’t think we should attempt to produce more garbage just because we can burn it to generate electricity.

 

We just have different definitions in our minds. I agree we shouldn't try to produce more garbage - no doubt about that. But we should try to use more of what is already produced on a daily basis to help with our energy needs. A lot of garbage is still landfilled or trucked/shipped long distances to get it out of sight then who knows what happens to it (like sea burials). And I can't ever see us living in a trashless society - so in my mind this equates to a renewable. Is it desirable? No, but it is reality.

That being said, I totally see where your definition is coming from, and it would be great if there were another category to put that electricity generation source in. Maybe a recycling by-product category? I know that there are landfills that harvest the methane produced and use it as a heating fuel or electrical generation.

 

Eversource C.E.O. "deeply concerned" about winter power capacity

 

I have total and complete confidence that this will be addressed swiftly.... once people are in their cold dark homes, huddled around candles.

 

And Brandon wakes up from his nap and finishes his ice cream.