4 ms·

Gas is also supplied by a set of pipelines. There isn’t a free lunch.

by dpierce9 5y ago

astura 5y ago
Not necessarily, the fuel for my gas stove is propane that's delivered by a truck.
cubix 5y ago
We have a gas well on our property, so we come pretty close to getting a free lunch.
dimitrios1 5y ago
Pipelines push gas through the use of a compressor station that itself is fueled by a small amount of the natural gas being delivered.
- dpierce9 5y ago
  In early 2014 numerous pipes were shut down in the eastern US because supply was not enough to meet demand due to a polar vortex. Compressor stations break down, suppliers fail to deliver gas, mercaptan might not be available, control systems are subject to cyber attack. My point is simply that any energy delivery system has weaknesses.
  - dimitrios1 5y ago
    It's a great point, and plays into my larger point. We shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket. Having multiple power delivery options is great. Diversification is great. Electrifying everything is going to lead to some unforeseen consequences. When the power goes out, and it's below freezing, people die. But we aren't spending as much securing and solidifying our electrical grid and power delivery as we are onboarding more and more stuff onto it.
    - dpierce9 5y ago
      As long as gas is used to produce electricity the energy delivery systems are not independent. In a home the two systems generally serve different purposes so I am not sure the value of having both is as high as you suggest. My gas furnace/hot water heater won’t turn on, for good reason, without electricity. The only thing that works when the power is out is my stove top (not the oven) if I manually ignite it. They would work if I used a generator but that is third supply and it shouldn’t be lost that the output of the generator is electricity. That generator could itself be powered by natural gas but that is not common.

4 ms·

Gas is also supplied by a set of pipelines. There isn’t a free lunch.

by dpierce9 5y ago

Gas is also supplied by a set of pipelines. There isn’t a free lunch.

astura 5y ago
Not necessarily, the fuel for my gas stove is propane that's delivered by a truck.
cubix 5y ago
We have a gas well on our property, so we come pretty close to getting a free lunch.
dimitrios1 5y ago
Pipelines push gas through the use of a compressor station that itself is fueled by a small amount of the natural gas being delivered.
- dpierce9 5y ago
  In early 2014 numerous pipes were shut down in the eastern US because supply was not enough to meet demand due to a polar vortex. Compressor stations break down, suppliers fail to deliver gas, mercaptan might not be available, control systems are subject to cyber attack. My point is simply that any energy delivery system has weaknesses.
  - dimitrios1 5y ago
    It's a great point, and plays into my larger point. We shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket. Having multiple power delivery options is great. Diversification is great. Electrifying everything is going to lead to some unforeseen consequences. When the power goes out, and it's below freezing, people die. But we aren't spending as much securing and solidifying our electrical grid and power delivery as we are onboarding more and more stuff onto it.
    - dpierce9 5y ago
      As long as gas is used to produce electricity the energy delivery systems are not independent. In a home the two systems generally serve different purposes so I am not sure the value of having both is as high as you suggest. My gas furnace/hot water heater won’t turn on, for good reason, without electricity. The only thing that works when the power is out is my stove top (not the oven) if I manually ignite it. They would work if I used a generator but that is third supply and it shouldn’t be lost that the output of the generator is electricity. That generator could itself be powered by natural gas but that is not common.