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Australian residential customers are paying the highest electricity prices in the world [1] Any solution works if you have unlimited amounts of other people's

by keanzu 7y ago

Australian residential customers are paying the highest electricity prices in the world [1] Any solution works if you have unlimited amounts of other people's money to throw at the problem [1] https://www.afr.com/news/australian-households-pay-highest-power-prices-in-world-20170804-gxp58a https://www.afr.com/news/australian-households-pay-highest-p...

toomuchtodo 7y ago
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/australian-homes-are-turning-to-solar-power-in-record-numbers/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/australian-homes-are-... (Australian homes are turning to solar power in record numbers) > A record amount of new solar capacity has been fitted to Australia’s households and businesses in the first three months of this year, an increase of 46% on the same period last year, according to the consultancy Green Energy Markets. And installations in Victoria have surged 90% after the state introduced an incentive scheme. > It’s calculated that customers will save $600 million on their power bills over the next decade, thanks to the installations. And the scheme is bringing benefits in other areas, generating new jobs in the renewable energy sector. Your link is paywalled, so I can't read the details, but rooftop solar is an incredibly good financial proposition in the Australian energy markets due to market dysfunctions. It seems like a useful scenario in which to subsidize clean energy instead of very dirty coal generation currently in service throughout most of Australia.
- keanzu 7y ago
  The link wasn't paywalled when I first visited it but when I try to go back now it is, must have hit a free limit I guess. Incentive schemes are literally other people's money. The savings are reminiscent of a store putting the price up 50% prior to a 33% off super sale. Everything looks like a good deal when compared to inflated prices caused by market dysfunction.
  - toomuchtodo 7y ago
    When you burn fossil fuels that’s literally someone else’s air they need to survive (pollution from the burning of fossil fuels has a quantifiable impact on the health and mortality of humans). It’s not hard to see why we prioritize that over other people’s money and a more Libertarian outlook (“let the market work itself out”) when that has so clearly failed in an epic fashion.
    - keanzu 7y ago
      A worst of both worlds result - very dirty coal generation currently in service throughout most of Australia - and the highest residential prices in the world.

by keanzu 7y ago

toomuchtodo 7y ago

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/australian-homes-are-turning-to-solar-power-in-record-numbers/ https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/05/australian-homes-are-... (Australian homes are turning to solar power in record numbers) > A record amount of new solar capacity has been fitted to Australia’s households and businesses in the first three months of this year, an increase of 46% on the same period last year, according to the consultancy Green Energy Markets. And installations in Victoria have surged 90% after the state introduced an incentive scheme. > It’s calculated that customers will save $600 million on their power bills over the next decade, thanks to the installations. And the scheme is bringing benefits in other areas, generating new jobs in the renewable energy sector. Your link is paywalled, so I can't read the details, but rooftop solar is an incredibly good financial proposition in the Australian energy markets due to market dysfunctions. It seems like a useful scenario in which to subsidize clean energy instead of very dirty coal generation currently in service throughout most of Australia.

keanzu 7y ago
The link wasn't paywalled when I first visited it but when I try to go back now it is, must have hit a free limit I guess. Incentive schemes are literally other people's money. The savings are reminiscent of a store putting the price up 50% prior to a 33% off super sale. Everything looks like a good deal when compared to inflated prices caused by market dysfunction.
- toomuchtodo 7y ago
  When you burn fossil fuels that’s literally someone else’s air they need to survive (pollution from the burning of fossil fuels has a quantifiable impact on the health and mortality of humans). It’s not hard to see why we prioritize that over other people’s money and a more Libertarian outlook (“let the market work itself out”) when that has so clearly failed in an epic fashion.
  - keanzu 7y ago
    A worst of both worlds result - very dirty coal generation currently in service throughout most of Australia - and the highest residential prices in the world.