Shortages of both goods and services combined with massive government spending are resulting in inflation. And now there are predictions of increasing electrical power outages:
Across the nation, severe weather fueled by climate change is pushing aging electrical systems past their limits, often with deadly results. Last year, the average American home endured more than eight hours without power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration — more than double the outage time five years ago.
I suppose you can call it “climate change”. Assuming it’s the political climate you have in mind. From the same article:
…state regulators largely have rejected these ideas, citing pressure to keep energy rates affordable. Of $15.7 billion in grid improvements under consideration last year, regulators approved only $3.4 billion, according to a national survey by the NC Clean Energy Technology Center — about one fifth.
After a weather disaster, “everybody’s standing around saying ‘why didn’t you spend more to keep the lights on?’” Ted Thomas, chairperson of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, said in an interview with The Washington Post. “But when you try to spend more when the system is working, it’s a tough sell.”
Politicians are demanding “green electricity”. But most types of “green electricity” are unreliable and more expensive. And at the same time there are demands to remove hydroelectric dams. Then they demand electricity be “affordable”. The grid is aging and stretched to the limit by increased consumption, decreasing production, and regulators don’t allow rate increases to replace and improve the equipment. Socialism, it’s the poison pill working it’s evil upon humanity.
A phrase comes to mind which was commonly used in regards to the “eco-freaks” when I was electrical engineering school, “Let them freeze in the dark.”
But the problem is it won’t be those who created the problem who “enjoy” the fruits of their work. It will be those who are out of political favor who will be last in line to get their share of the rationed electricity, food, medical care, etc.
Our situation will likely slowly deteriorate on all fronts then as all the reserves in the system are consumed it will be a rapid, catastrophic, and systemic failure. Prepare appropriately.
I need to include good backup electricity for my underground bunker.
Soon the whole country will be like California
And what is good reliable electrical generation? The best one that I have found is a dual fuel (propane/gas) and as a alternative a PTO driven generator. Ideally a wood fired boiler would be more sustainable if you have the trees, but you would have to build it. And none of these solutions would be approved by the Equity Police.
I would probably go with duel fueled for full power backup for scenarios up to a week. For long term scenarios plan on cutting consumption and using solar and wind charging of batteries. If you are in a desert at lower latitudes then you could drop the wind. In the higher latitudes or locations with lots of clouds then the wind tends to complement the solar. When you have stormy weather the wind is good while the solar is poor.
Wood is going to require more maintenance, are and feeding when in use.
True, but woods always available. Gas and diesel, not so much. And with a boiler one can heat home and green house with left over heat.
One could probably run half the region off wheat straw.
And even natural gas is threated as we found out in Texas. As the NG pumping system was switched from NG fired turbine power. To electric powered pumps.
And all this is brought to you by speculators. Carpet baggers looking for another way to steal.
P,G & E. was forced by California law to buy power on the open market. Rather than generate it in state. Texas got the same treatment. And the rest of us are going to be forced to endure the same vulgarities soon.
Scarcity breeds markets. And opens them up to speculation. Public utilities are regulated for profit. So would you like to have 10% of a $100.00. Or 10% of $1,000.00? Got to rise rates to do that.
And when Warren Buffet bought out Scot’s power in So. Oregon. They shorted transformer inspection to save a nickel. Causing failures and fires. Sound familiar?
Next they started on dam removal for the Klamath river. Rising rates to do it.
Everything we consume is being managed for the profit and power of the elitists.
And Joe. The Chet’s right. A wood fired boiler is a fairly easy system to build and run for your bunker. Coupled with a battery system. It would be smoother on your computer systems than any grid connection.
Don’t forget the increasing demand from mandated electric cars, increasing reliance on electronic and electrical infrastructure, and heating modern multi-family housing units with electric baseboard heat (while filling them with imported Somali immigrant/refugees with tax-payer subsidized utility bills to ensure they are not motivated to turn the thermostat down in Minnesota, where they are well-adapted).
What could possibly go wrong?
Yep, I have seen estimates that the grid will need to double by 2030 and that includes the last mile to each building. Sure you can charge an electric battery overnight using household power if you only commute less than 30 miles or so per day. For fast charging and longer distances you need a bigger pipe and getting it by 2030 is a pipe dream. There is a clash coming between the dreamers and reality, but in the meantime they are making existing products unaffordable or unavailable. It’s screw you and make you pay for it. Welcome to our third world.
BTW: Think that you will always be able to buy a gas/propane electric generator, a gas chain saw, a gas log splitter, or gas blower. Well think again. California is in the process of making small gas engines illegal to sell in the state. Can Washington state be that far behind?
I see today that Bloomberg has an article titled: “Nobody is drilling for oil”. Instead everyone, and especially the money guys, are focused on green energy.
So in 5 years will you be able to get and afford that gallon of gas? As one of the execs at Ford said “Like it or not electric is coming”.
What I find particularly disturbing is that overall wealth correlates with energy consumption and now with green energy (especially wind and solar) barely registering (optimistically we may reach 20% in a few years), we’re letting attrition take its toll on production with no plans for replacement. We are going to find out if wealth is a function of energy consumption the hard way.
There are now only four causes of death (or of any other problem, real or imagined);
Climate change
COVID
Systemic racism
All the above
If you want to know the epicenter of all of this psychological rotting and plotting, then read Laudato Si. It is a very cleverly written document, and the whole world loves it. Of course it would have no impact if no one heeded it but, things being as they are, it is affecting the direction and goals of the world.
Maybe if I ever get pulled over for a traffic violation, I’ll blame climate change, systemic racism and COVID and see what happens. Surely it can’t be my fault that I was speeding or that I failed to come to a complete stop at a stop sign, or that my license tabs were expired, right? Obviously then it had to be because of climate change, or to my distraction due to the injustices of systemic racism and my ever-present, pervasive and morbid fear of other people thinking that I might not be serious enough about COVID.
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All part of the plan. A plan they’ve been implementing for decades.