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If electricity prices stay low other forms of energy will migrate. Already people in the UK are hooking up electric cars and heat pumps to automated tariffs th

by pydry 4y ago

If electricity prices stay low other forms of energy will migrate. Already people in the UK are hooking up electric cars and heat pumps to automated tariffs that charge/heat depending on the availability of cheap power (i.e. wind/sun availability). The important thing is to double down on what is already working.

mikro2nd 4y ago
I heard, just the other day, about someone (in the UK) using their Tesla to make money by buying cheap (night-time) power and selling it back during high-rate times, and I was moved to wonder... Does this "profit" making scheme still work when you take into account the lifespan of the Tesla's batteries -- I'd guess they're good for something like 4000 cycles, and then you're facing the cost of replacement. I have my doubts whether it really works out, but lack the data. Anyone with insight?
- SuoDuanDao 4y ago
  I don't have the numbers with me, but I've seen convincing discussions that it can work with some caveats. The main issue being that spot prices are extremely volatile, so it's possible for a player at the utility space to get very high prices for electricity for very short times. But daytime-pricing schemes, while they follow the general trends of this volatility, insulate the consumer from the worst of this volatility enough that simply arbitraging the difference probably won't pay for the wear on a Tesla. But a fleet of Teslas paying the same rates as the utilities could make it a profitable enterprise. Reading between the lines of Tesla investor meetings it sounds as though they have the software but haven't implemented it because it would hurt their brand as a luxury good.
krupan 4y ago
Yes, if it gets cheaper people will migrate to electricity and then wind will not be able to be the "main" source of electricity anymore. They'll have to burn more coal or gas. Yay?
- pydry 4y ago
  Or they'll just keep building solar, wind and power cables to keep up with the increased demand from this transition. This would be a good thing.

by pydry 4y ago

mikro2nd 4y ago

I heard, just the other day, about someone (in the UK) using their Tesla to make money by buying cheap (night-time) power and selling it back during high-rate times, and I was moved to wonder... Does this "profit" making scheme still work when you take into account the lifespan of the Tesla's batteries -- I'd guess they're good for something like 4000 cycles, and then you're facing the cost of replacement. I have my doubts whether it really works out, but lack the data. Anyone with insight?

SuoDuanDao 4y ago
I don't have the numbers with me, but I've seen convincing discussions that it can work with some caveats. The main issue being that spot prices are extremely volatile, so it's possible for a player at the utility space to get very high prices for electricity for very short times. But daytime-pricing schemes, while they follow the general trends of this volatility, insulate the consumer from the worst of this volatility enough that simply arbitraging the difference probably won't pay for the wear on a Tesla. But a fleet of Teslas paying the same rates as the utilities could make it a profitable enterprise. Reading between the lines of Tesla investor meetings it sounds as though they have the software but haven't implemented it because it would hurt their brand as a luxury good.

krupan 4y ago

Yes, if it gets cheaper people will migrate to electricity and then wind will not be able to be the "main" source of electricity anymore. They'll have to burn more coal or gas. Yay?

pydry 4y ago
Or they'll just keep building solar, wind and power cables to keep up with the increased demand from this transition. This would be a good thing.