5 ms·

Texas is the standing proof that "making sure that all of this massive extra cost doesn't just get dumped on consumers" is not a problem. Texas has the most loa

by jeffbee 4mo ago

Texas is the standing proof that "making sure that all of this massive extra cost doesn't just get dumped on consumers" is not a problem. Texas has the most load, the most marginal load added every year, and the cheapest retail power. Load grew 15% in the 5 years to 2024, and retail prices fell by 1¢.

doctorwho42 4mo ago
Do t they also have like the most solar?
- jeffbee 4mo ago
  Maybe in absolute terms? I haven't checked in a while. In terms of fraction of energy from solar Texas is still far behind California.
  - ZeroGravitas 4mo ago
    They have more utility solar than California as of last year in absolute terms, they're second if you include distributed behind the meter solar which California has more of. Texas also lead in absolute amounts of wind, gas and coal. They have a lot of generation.
    - doctorwho42 4mo ago
      And with data centers (ai) they will not have enough
    - jeffbee 4mo ago
      That makes sense. It's hard to appreciate the scale of these things without understanding that Texas, although the less populous of the two states, uses far more energy, and in particular far more grid electricity, because of their climate, the energy intensity of their economy, their ideological opposition to energy efficiency mandates, and their relative lack of small-scale, distributed, behind-the-meter generation and storage.
baldeagle 4mo ago
I don’t think that is true. https://www.electricchoice.com/historical-electricity-pricing/ https://www.electricchoice.com/historical-electricity-pricin...
- jeffbee 4mo ago
  I am sorry to be the one to inform you about "inflation". The data you provided shows that rates increased from 2019-2024 at rates slightly below general CPI inflation.
  - baldeagle 4mo ago
    Let's assume we're talking about core inflation (since headline inflation included changes in energy costs and that would hide the signal). Core inflation was us 23% from '19-24, but the energy costs in Texas were up 37%. Actually, headline inflation was up 25%, which is still below that set of price increases. Please support your assertion that Texas energy costs decreased in that time period.
    - jeffbee 4mo ago
      According to EIA State Energy Data System, "Average end-use energy price estimates by energy source, annual", electricity in Texas rose from $25.51 per million BTU (yes, I know) in 2019 to $28.95 in 2024, the most recent year available in the database. That's only 13.5%.
      - baldeagle 4mo ago
        Ahh, I was focusing on residential energy (the cost borne by most of the people in Texas), which is up 25% per that source. The bulk and stability of industrial power is keeping prices down in aggregate. 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bryanlarsen 4mo ago
And California is proof of the converse. California's wholesale electricity prices are the lowest in the nation, half of what Texas' are. But California's retail electricity prices are the second highest in the nation. https://cleantechnica.com/2026/05/30/california-lowest-wholesale-electricity-prices-in-usa/ https://cleantechnica.com/2026/05/30/california-lowest-whole...

by jeffbee 4mo ago

doctorwho42 4mo ago

Do t they also have like the most solar?

jeffbee 4mo ago
Maybe in absolute terms? I haven't checked in a while. In terms of fraction of energy from solar Texas is still far behind California.
- ZeroGravitas 4mo ago
  They have more utility solar than California as of last year in absolute terms, they're second if you include distributed behind the meter solar which California has more of. Texas also lead in absolute amounts of wind, gas and coal. They have a lot of generation.
  - doctorwho42 4mo ago
    And with data centers (ai) they will not have enough
  - jeffbee 4mo ago
    That makes sense. It's hard to appreciate the scale of these things without understanding that Texas, although the less populous of the two states, uses far more energy, and in particular far more grid electricity, because of their climate, the energy intensity of their economy, their ideological opposition to energy efficiency mandates, and their relative lack of small-scale, distributed, behind-the-meter generation and storage.

baldeagle 4mo ago

I don’t think that is true. https://www.electricchoice.com/historical-electricity-pricing/ https://www.electricchoice.com/historical-electricity-pricin...

jeffbee 4mo ago
I am sorry to be the one to inform you about "inflation". The data you provided shows that rates increased from 2019-2024 at rates slightly below general CPI inflation.
- baldeagle 4mo ago
  Let's assume we're talking about core inflation (since headline inflation included changes in energy costs and that would hide the signal). Core inflation was us 23% from '19-24, but the energy costs in Texas were up 37%. Actually, headline inflation was up 25%, which is still below that set of price increases. Please support your assertion that Texas energy costs decreased in that time period.
  - jeffbee 4mo ago
    According to EIA State Energy Data System, "Average end-use energy price estimates by energy source, annual", electricity in Texas rose from $25.51 per million BTU (yes, I know) in 2019 to $28.95 in 2024, the most recent year available in the database. That's only 13.5%.
    - baldeagle 4mo ago
      Ahh, I was focusing on residential energy (the cost borne by most of the people in Texas), which is up 25% per that source. The bulk and stability of industrial power is keeping prices down in aggregate. 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bryanlarsen 4mo ago

And California is proof of the converse. California's wholesale electricity prices are the lowest in the nation, half of what Texas' are. But California's retail electricity prices are the second highest in the nation. https://cleantechnica.com/2026/05/30/california-lowest-wholesale-electricity-prices-in-usa/ https://cleantechnica.com/2026/05/30/california-lowest-whole...