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Price of power in California is 32c per kwh, in Virginia I pay 13c. Quick search shows at least 80% of my power comes from nuclear and natural gas, so it's not

Price of power in California is 32c per kwh, in Virginia I pay 13c. Quick search shows at least 80% of my power comes from nuclear and natural gas, so it's not like we're putting out rediculous emissions over here. Just thought it was important to put into perspective the cost of this.

otterley 2y ago
The price of electricity in CA is higher largely due to overhead, not input cost. (The price varies widely by the incumbent utility; PG&E is expensive, while Santa Clara power sitting right in the middle of their territory is 50% cheaper.) And if we all paid for externalities, the cost of fossil fuels would be much higher than they are.
abeppu 2y ago
I'm curious though how much of the price we pay for power in CA is because of power generation, versus how much goes to power distribution infrastructure and maintenance. The CPUC seems on course to a pricing change in CA which will see our price per kwh drop, but will introduce a new fixed fee just to be connected to the grid, under the claim that buildings which generally are powered by their own solar/batteries are not contributing to the cost of e.g. wildfire risk remediation and tree-trimming. But I haven't seen a clear analysis showing the breakdown of how much of costs go to proactive maintenance, vs generation, vs giant settlements for having burned whole towns, etc.
renewiltord 2y ago
Sacramento has 14c/kWh in summer and 11.5c/kWh in winter and that's 1/3 nat gas and the rest hydro and renewable.
JumpCrisscross 2y ago
6.8¢ here in Wyoming for wind imported from Idaho; regular is 5.6¢ [1]. Our power company is a local coöperative and doesn’t burn down half the state every decade. [1] https://www.lvenergy.com/energy-efficiency/learn-about-green-power/ https://www.lvenergy.com/energy-efficiency/learn-about-green...
Kon5ole 2y ago
>in Virginia I pay 13c.Quick search shows at least 80% of my power comes from nuclear and natural gas, so it's not like we're putting out rediculous emissions over here. But at 13c you are also not paying what your power costs. Someone else does (or will eventually have to).
Symbiote 2y ago
Virginia's power grid seems pretty dirty, it's 50% coal according to the figures on https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=VA#tabs-4 https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=VA#tabs-4

otterley 2y ago

The price of electricity in CA is higher largely due to overhead, not input cost. (The price varies widely by the incumbent utility; PG&E is expensive, while Santa Clara power sitting right in the middle of their territory is 50% cheaper.) And if we all paid for externalities, the cost of fossil fuels would be much higher than they are.

abeppu 2y ago

I'm curious though how much of the price we pay for power in CA is because of power generation, versus how much goes to power distribution infrastructure and maintenance. The CPUC seems on course to a pricing change in CA which will see our price per kwh drop, but will introduce a new fixed fee just to be connected to the grid, under the claim that buildings which generally are powered by their own solar/batteries are not contributing to the cost of e.g. wildfire risk remediation and tree-trimming. But I haven't seen a clear analysis showing the breakdown of how much of costs go to proactive maintenance, vs generation, vs giant settlements for having burned whole towns, etc.

renewiltord 2y ago

Sacramento has 14c/kWh in summer and 11.5c/kWh in winter and that's 1/3 nat gas and the rest hydro and renewable.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

6.8¢ here in Wyoming for wind imported from Idaho; regular is 5.6¢ [1]. Our power company is a local coöperative and doesn’t burn down half the state every decade. [1] https://www.lvenergy.com/energy-efficiency/learn-about-green-power/ https://www.lvenergy.com/energy-efficiency/learn-about-green...

Kon5ole 2y ago

>in Virginia I pay 13c.Quick search shows at least 80% of my power comes from nuclear and natural gas, so it's not like we're putting out rediculous emissions over here. But at 13c you are also not paying what your power costs. Someone else does (or will eventually have to).

Symbiote 2y ago

Virginia's power grid seems pretty dirty, it's 50% coal according to the figures on https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=VA#tabs-4 https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=VA#tabs-4