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So you are telling us electric cars, loaded by home solar power have no issues?

neilwilson 5y ago
Only that electricity providers are going bust on a daily basis. This is the UK we're talking about and it's nearly October. You'd struggle to power a flashlight from solar power at this time of year.
- dumb_throw 5y ago
  It's a little odd that Bulb, who boast about supplying "100% renewable" power, are affected by gas prices.
  - MattPalmer1086 5y ago
    Electricity is from renewables, gas is made green through offsetting. They supply both. Edit: at least in the UK, they only claim green, not fully renewable.
    - dumb_throw 5y ago
      Right, so they should have a competitive advantage over those "traditional" fossil-fuel burning electricity suppliers. That is, they can continue selling renewable electricity unaffected by gas prices.
      - MattPalmer1086 5y ago
        It does seem like they would have an advantage there, although they would still be affected.
  - shalmanese 5y ago
    Well, yeah, because electricity is fungible. Other power providers that can't get the electricity they need from gas are turning to renewables, driving up prices for everyone.
    - dumb_throw 5y ago
      That's not what's happening. Coal-fired power stations are being re-activated to cover the shortfall. You do raise a good point - as electricity is fungible, and the power grid is built, operated, and maintained by a national institution, then how can a particular energy provider promise that their power is more renewable than that from the the others? Otherwise, every time Bulb gets a new customer, we are supposed to believe that they get all the renewable electrons, and the power supplied to the rest of us is just a bit more fossil-fueled. I do know the answer, and that is that those companies just buy and sell the various "pinky promise" certificates and accreditations that pass for being "renewable" and "carbon-neutral" , and have nothing at all to do with actually boosting the supply of renewables.
- 7952 5y ago
  The companies going bust buy energy wholesale and resell to consumers. The companies generating the power are different.
dumb_throw 5y ago
Yes. After a huge up-front cost, you can charge your shiny EV and drive it about as far as I can easily cycle in a day. Progress!
- ithkuil 5y ago
  There are some EV with >500km range per charge. The world record for cycling 560km is about 15h
  - dumb_throw 5y ago
    And? You sure can't charge 500km in one day from domestic solar (which is the topic of this conversation). You might get 20km.
    - ithkuil 5y ago
      Yeah not sure why the thread ended up restricting the domestic electricity source to solar. The main conversation is what to do when gas stations cannot be re-fueled due to truck-driver-shortage-induced panic buying, and not because there is a general fuel shortage that would affect electricity distribution
      - dumb_throw 5y ago
        Maybe, but this is a fun diversion that OP started. The UK is also suffering from a fuel shortage that is affecting electricity distribution, exacerbated by a heavy reliance on wind and an ongoing period of low winds. Oddly enough, it's all the little "100% renewable" power companies that are going bust, when you'd think they were independent of natural gas prices.
        davidhbolton 5y ago
        No, the UK is not suffering from a shortage of fuel, just the delivery mechanism for one chain. BP.
Proven 5y ago
You're qualified to be in charge of government energy policy, sir.

Only that electricity providers are going bust on a daily basis. This is the UK we're talking about and it's nearly October. You'd struggle to power a flashlight from solar power at this time of year.

dumb_throw 5y ago
It's a little odd that Bulb, who boast about supplying "100% renewable" power, are affected by gas prices.
- MattPalmer1086 5y ago
  Electricity is from renewables, gas is made green through offsetting. They supply both. Edit: at least in the UK, they only claim green, not fully renewable.
  - dumb_throw 5y ago
    Right, so they should have a competitive advantage over those "traditional" fossil-fuel burning electricity suppliers. That is, they can continue selling renewable electricity unaffected by gas prices.
    - MattPalmer1086 5y ago
      It does seem like they would have an advantage there, although they would still be affected.
- shalmanese 5y ago
  Well, yeah, because electricity is fungible. Other power providers that can't get the electricity they need from gas are turning to renewables, driving up prices for everyone.
  - dumb_throw 5y ago
    That's not what's happening. Coal-fired power stations are being re-activated to cover the shortfall. You do raise a good point - as electricity is fungible, and the power grid is built, operated, and maintained by a national institution, then how can a particular energy provider promise that their power is more renewable than that from the the others? Otherwise, every time Bulb gets a new customer, we are supposed to believe that they get all the renewable electrons, and the power supplied to the rest of us is just a bit more fossil-fueled. I do know the answer, and that is that those companies just buy and sell the various "pinky promise" certificates and accreditations that pass for being "renewable" and "carbon-neutral" , and have nothing at all to do with actually boosting the supply of renewables.
7952 5y ago
The companies going bust buy energy wholesale and resell to consumers. The companies generating the power are different.

dumb_throw 5y ago

Yes. After a huge up-front cost, you can charge your shiny EV and drive it about as far as I can easily cycle in a day. Progress!

ithkuil 5y ago
There are some EV with >500km range per charge. The world record for cycling 560km is about 15h
- dumb_throw 5y ago
  And? You sure can't charge 500km in one day from domestic solar (which is the topic of this conversation). You might get 20km.
  - ithkuil 5y ago
    Yeah not sure why the thread ended up restricting the domestic electricity source to solar. The main conversation is what to do when gas stations cannot be re-fueled due to truck-driver-shortage-induced panic buying, and not because there is a general fuel shortage that would affect electricity distribution
    - dumb_throw 5y ago
      Maybe, but this is a fun diversion that OP started. The UK is also suffering from a fuel shortage that is affecting electricity distribution, exacerbated by a heavy reliance on wind and an ongoing period of low winds. Oddly enough, it's all the little "100% renewable" power companies that are going bust, when you'd think they were independent of natural gas prices.
      - davidhbolton 5y ago
        No, the UK is not suffering from a shortage of fuel, just the delivery mechanism for one chain. BP.

Proven 5y ago

You're qualified to be in charge of government energy policy, sir.