Originally posted by: BrownTown
Umm just FWIW AlienCraft given as this is AnandTech ALOT of people here have degrees in electrical engineering and such, so if you want to explain why a certralized electrical distribution grid is so crappy your going to need to do more than just write some BS about evil corperations and such. There is a reason things are done the way they are, you might not like it but at leat understand it. For one thing there is a reason big companies run electrical transmission, it is a "natural monopoly" meaning that it tends to favor only a single company in any given area (IE: it would be stupid to have 2 sets of tranmission lines from 2 different companies in the same areas, you only need 1 and whoever owns that one has a monopoly over your electricity). However the fact that electrical transmission and distribution are natural monopolies means that they are heavily regulated by the government and where people have attempted to degregulate them to far (See: California and Enron) it has gone quite poorly. As for electrical generation it is not as much a natural monoploy, but still you need at least a few Billion if you want to play that game because even the cheapest power plant is ~500 million and a coal or nuclear plant will be several Billion dollars. The reason they are so big is because of economies of scale it is simply cheaper to have a few large power plants than tons of little ones. Anyways, my point is that electirity is controlled by large corporations and the government because that is the CHEAPEST way for it to be produced. Talking about putting the power back in the hands of the "little guy" is great until you realise it means your paying twice as much for electricity
First off, technical degrees are no substitute for social vision. There may be evidence to suggest those sorts of interests are actually antithetical to anything remotely concerning SOCIAL Interaction and involvement.
Secondly, the Tesla / Edison Feud as it relates to the current politicization and privatization of our nation's"Energy Grid/ Policy" is historical fact.
Third, As to Enron vs California, let's not confuse Industry Lobbyist generated legislation with laws drafted by people, for people, if I may paraphrase that most eloquent of Declarations.
My point is that systemic change can be made, first at the individual level, and as it grows grass roots style, into a more "organic" model, it will be able to use the strengths of the various technologies as well as the impetus of social adoption to expand and grow even more.
Three years ago there were no homes (except high end/ custom) with PV panels as part of the new construction model, now they are in mid level single family homes and multi -family residential s being made by big developers. There's a condo development here in Sac. that is doing good business ( not dropping prices as much as other developers) with their units that feature PV panels Solar water heated floors, "green Technology". Right, not gonna work, never happen. :roll:
Network TV once said Cable would kill them, VCR's would kill the industry, blah blah blah.Cable said Satellite would kill them, The Land Line phone company says Cell phones BAD, ad infinitum, Detroit sez "no way" to Americans wanting to buy high MPG vehicles,as if gas were like 1983 again. Anyone besides me see anything similar with the noise generated from Big Energy as it pertains to the decentralization of Energy Production with the items listed previously?
If Solar / Nuclear is so damn bad, why are these same Multi-National
Energy consortium's up to their necks in the business in Europe and Asia?
In case it's escaped anyone, the parallels are very similar, except, we don't NEED TV as a society, yet we do need power, and lights and heat / cooling within our homes.
Finally, this mantra of "Cheapest is better" is the last fraud perpetrated on the public. What we really mean is We Want the BEST VALUE. Which is different from CHEAPEST COST.
Cheap pet food is OK until it kills Sparky or Mittens.
Cheap parts are OK until they fail while under stress.
Cheap construction labor is OK until that elevated walkway fails, the third story deck falls off, Ceiling panels fall onto commuter traffic, you get the picture.
Lower Cost is only good in the RETAIL market where HIGH PROFIT is the only end game. Intangibles such as Customer Satisfaction, Confidence are no longer valued under that status quo model favored by Corporations.
Unregulated Marketplace = (no laws restricting behaviors) = ANARCHY = GOOD
Unregulated People = (no laws regulating behaviors )= ANARCHY = BAD
Anyone want to try to explain that for me?
Why do we allow a Company or Corporation's desire to maximize benefits (profits) to usurp Society's stated goal to maximize the benefits of that Society to it's citizens?
<---Sits down, straightens tinfoil beanie with attached flame suit (from ACME Inc., btw, none finer) waist binds on my middle aged belly...
PS... I see a system with DC being generated sub-locally (rooftop PV panels, Neighborhood shopping center area lighting power needs derived from rooftop PV panels. This requires NO further infrasturcture investment, simply a Building Code adjustment that corresponds to an industry shift to DC based lighting products.
If we used 24-32v DC for lighting, we could continue to use #12 wire to connect theses controls and devices. The only change needed would be to color code the external jacket, like we do with various other pipings, and cable conventions to differentiate it from the "normal"120vAC system.
Workers learn DC as a beginning for Electrical studies, and thus learning DC device wiring methods has already been done.
Manufacturers will be able to make more money as LED lites will no longer need a rectifier on them (a source of device failure) in order to be run. OOPs, can't sell replace ments that way...hmmm back to the accounting board. The drawing board has been modified so that any drawings on them is automatically routed through accounting for cost checking/ price control/ profit maximization. <actually not a bad idea, just one I don't want to have to use.
Furthermore, my understanding of the electrical transmission system aka The Grid comes from a familial association with The Grid and it's related uses going back into the early part of the 20th century as our nation wired it's factories then it's rural communities to my involvement in the electrical contracting field as well as being a repair technician in my earlier career.
You may not like it, but at least try to understand it, your own condescending self.
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