ET:
Utilities in several states are attempting to run a con game on their respective states’ utility commissions and ratepayers. How? By claiming their plans for prematurely shuttering existing, reliable, relatively inexpensive coal power plants and replacing them with expensive, intermittent renewable power sources will save ratepayers money “in the long run.” Meanwhile, they are asking for an immediate increase in electric rates to pay for the transition.
The truth is, the “long run” never comes. Any 10-year-old child can tell you someone isn’t saving you money if he or she charges you more for something you already get for less.
From Indiana to Iowa and beyond, electric utilities with existing coal plants are planning on replacing them with wind power and, increasingly, solar power, the most expensive form of energy, excluding battery power.
In late 2018, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), which provides electric power to approximately 460,000 customers across the state, filed a plan with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to prematurely shutter two large coal power plants and replace the electricity largely with solar and battery backup, as well as some wind and electricity purchased from other utilities. According to NIPSCO’s plan, demand would also be reduced.
While NIPSCO claims its move will eventually save ratepayers more than $4 billion, the utility is requesting IURC approve a 12 percent rate increase to pay for the transition. James Taylor, my colleague at The Heartland Institute, asked during his Jan. 28, 2019, testimony before an IURC hearing discussing NIPSCO’s plan, “In what Alice-in-Wonderland universe does NIPSCO save consumers $4 billion by raising each household’s electricity bill more than $100 per year?”
Of course, Indianans will also likely pay more for goods and services, because businesses will pass at least some of their higher energy costs on to their customers. read more
Our local school district recently (2 or 3 years ago) “updated” the school heating system, replacing the propane system for a wood-fired system, “saving” the taxpayers $13,000 / yr!
Whoop-te-doooooooo!
Looking at the “long-term” “renewable” energy, of course.
However, when you did the math the “break-even” point is 56 YEARS in the future!
HUH?
Ever heard of a heating system lasting 56 years?
Good luck widdat!
The scam seems to be a product of “big-company” (govt ministry, large corporation, utility, whatever) mindset that puts some weird ideology above every other consideration, and then sells it to a gullible public.
The imbecility is agreed upon (or foisted on) prior to doing any real-world analysis – and then the narrative is twisted to facilitate that imbecility.
Or, at least, that’s my take on it.
(the House of Reps did the same stupid shit with “waterless” urinals about a decade ago – wasting $Millions on a fool’s dream – oh, yeah, and on “water-saving” aerators which the Members (who insisted on them) hated! we had to cut the guts out of them to make them function)
izlamo delenda est …
The utility here has a slight twist on the con. You can buy a share in the solar farm for $100 up front and a dollar a month added to your bill and this will save you money “in the long run”. Plus you get to feel all warm and fuzzy by saving the planet.
More Money Mitt Romney is very familiar with these types of scams.
Here we go with the stinky Chicago shahada shitfinger of Obama again. Up to his usual tricks with Exelon.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obamacenter/ct-obama-foundation-donors-met-0714-20170714-story.html
https://www.exeloncorp.com/companies/exelon-generation/solar/Pages/default.aspx
There is no “free” energy.
Solar & wind are not ready.
Maybe one day they will be.Coal,Gas,Oil is the way to go.
No free energy, period.
Every possible form of it is derived from some resource or another that takes a lot of work to harness in a usable form for the consumer. So I despise even the term “free energy” because it’s always been meaningless and, now, is misleading to the stupid.
Because the laws in the States require so much ‘renewable’ energy from the power companies.
So the utilities are going to hose everybody in retaliation.
I can’t blame them for trying, just don’t raise my rates.
Energy is. It cannot be created or destroyed, you can only convert it to a different form, and each conversion cannot be 100% efficient.
The real clean way to go is nuclear; small nuclear reactors on a distributed grid. Eliminate control of energy by the few.
Environmentalism is more focused on economic destruction than cleaning up the air and water.
Con games tend to be the norm for utility companies nation wide. I moved to Idaho in 1995 and all I had to do to was fill in a monthly issued postcard on which I recorded my current meter usage number and then received my bill within afew days. Around 1997 IP (Idaho Power) received permission to charge all customers a monthly fee to cover a driver to come read the meter instead of the postcard program they where using. Then in 2010-2012 they installed all automatic recording meters on all buildings so a driver was no longer needed to get the monthly usage numbers but, you guessed it, they still are charging each customer the monthy fee for the driver service. So you see people, the utilities know how to give the shaft to it’s customers as most people do not have long memories or do not care.
Power generation was my career. I cared about things like this. On January 1 2019 I retired and unplugged from the utility industry. I can care less now. F*ck ’em all.
This reminds we how taxes are raised to pay for new professional sports stadiums saying that those new sports stadiums will bring in a lot of tax revenue. However, those new sports stadiums never bring in enough tax revenue to reduce the other taxes to their pre-increase levels much less lower.