ghouse

22 ms·

181.
by ghouse 8y ago
Social Security is a insurance program, not a retirement program. Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_(United_States...
182.
by ghouse 8y ago
Have driven both. The 3 is more (a lot is subjective) fun to drive. Similar to the difference between a BMW 4 series and 7 series.
183.
by ghouse 8y ago
If there were only one power plant responsible for the grid, I'd agree with a regulation requiring a minimum number of days of fuel on-site. However, there are many thousands of power plants on each of the three US grids (Eastern, West
184.
by ghouse 8y ago
I thought the GOP was in favor of free-market and balanced budget. In this case, the administration already attempted the free-market approach (asking FERC to review whether the market rules properly compensated the unique attributes of coa
185.
by ghouse 8y ago
And the use of air conditioning is what causes the annual peak (which is what the transmission and distribution systems are built to serve). Is it unfair for people who don't have air conditioning (or live in more temperate areas) to
186.
by ghouse 8y ago
This didn't come from the legislature. Approved by the CPUC yesterday morning. No H2 as part of this. You can watch it here: http://www.adminmonitor.com/ca/cpuc/voting_meeting/201805312...
187.
by ghouse 8y ago
I understand and agree with these facts. And as a society we can choose to either increase the cost of the negative externality (like the vehicle emissions), or decrease the cost of the positive externality (emission-free vehicles). Howeve
188.
by ghouse 8y ago
And if your apartment doesn't have a washer and dryer, at some point you'll need clean clothes. My point is why should I subsidize your charger?
189.
by ghouse 8y ago
Here in CA, you have three components to your bill: generation, transmission, and distribution. Adjusted for inflation, generation costs are going down (where true competition exists), while the transmission and distribution costs are goin
190.
by ghouse 8y ago
I drive a EV with a range > 200 miles. Utility-customer funded chargers strike me as a solution tomorrow for a problem of yesterday -- limited EV range.
191.
by ghouse 8y ago
TLDR; Caused by trees. And poor planning. FirstEnergy didn't adequately trim trees in the right of way for a 345 kV line. On a hot day, due to other outages, the load on that line caused the conductor to heat, expand, sag, and then el
192.
by ghouse 8y ago
Yes, it does work. The page reports its accuracy within 2.26 miles. Measuring on Google Earth, it was off by 0.42 miles, so well within its stated accuracy on the result. It did require me to respond "YES" to an SMS before the w
193.
by ghouse 8y ago
Unregulated capitalism, perhaps. However, I don't think the US has capitalism (well-regulated or otherwise) today. Today we have a system where gains are privatized, losses are socialized, and market-participants can coerce their elect
194.
by ghouse 8y ago
But only if the current design of utility rates remains the same. But it won't, because utilities are regulated monopolies which are permitted to recoup the costs of their investments. So, they will lower the price of power during the
195.
by ghouse 8y ago
> And decreases the energy bill by a very similar amount of what an increase in the mortgage would be Sure, this is true iff a) the home has a nice south-facing roof, b) without trees in the way and c) under the current tariff design in
196.
Shell Corp in 1980s: Climate Change Dangerous, Fossil Fuel Industry Responsible(independent.co.uk)
3 points by ghouse 9y ago|1 comments
197.
by ghouse 9y ago
1) That's inaccurate. From my own direct experience, it applies to any investment property. 2) You're making an argument to not tax dividends, not capital gains.
198.
by ghouse 9y ago
In the US, a large part of this trend is due to the tax code. Examples: 1) in real estate, a "1031 transfer" allows the tax payer to not pay tax on the gain from the sale of property so long as they purchase another piece of real
199.
by ghouse 9y ago
For those interested in seeing the California "duck curve" in real time, the CAISO publishes it here: http://www.caiso.com/TodaysOutlook/Pages/default.aspx
200.
by ghouse 9y ago
No, most do not. This is true for both utility projects and retail (behind the meter) projects. However, with the falling cost of batteries, and shifting price signals in the market, this is beginning to change -- in Germany, the US, and
201.
by ghouse 9y ago
They already have a meaningful impact today in the eastern US. In the PJM RTO, batteries (and fly wheels) perform frequency regulation (discussed elsewhere in these comments).
202.
by ghouse 9y ago
It is considered a partial solution. There are large solar thermal power plants that can store heat in the form of molten salt, and then later using that heat to flash water to steam to spin a turbine. However, this is, in most scenarios to
203.
by ghouse 9y ago
The term of art is "frequency response" for "stabilization." This is the system's ability to respond to shocks. Though, the need for frequency response is driven primarily by very large "traditional" powe
204.
by ghouse 9y ago
I can speak to Kansas. The land owners appreciate the rents paid, and the counties appreciate the property tax base and jobs that come with the turbines.
205.
by ghouse 9y ago
Because it's less expensive. And it isn't exposed to forward price volatility of fuel.
206.
by ghouse 9y ago
So as to not remove the incentive to build new apartments, in San Francisco, rent control only applies to units built before 1978. The SF rent control law (like the CA Prop 13) does allow rents to increase, but very slowly. It would be pos
207.
by ghouse 9y ago
But rent control manipulates the free market. With rent control, people who might otherwise move, don't. Further, people who might rent a vacant apartment while they're overseas don't. Or people who start a family and move
208.
by ghouse 9y ago
Rent control solves some problems. Creates other problems. Similar to almost any intervention in free markets. Sometimes the cost of intervention outweigh benefits, sometimes they don't. Rent control allows people (wealthy or poor) t
209.
by ghouse 9y ago
My four year old laptop (Mac) gives me a battery health warning. I doubt the PM, UI, or otherwise responsible person made the decision to include this warning in MacOS as a way to dissuade me from purchasing a new laptop, just as I doubt th
210.
by ghouse 9y ago
Sounds like the US and UK handle it differently.

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