Pine Tree public utility in Maine aims to replace the existing privately owned utility withnits foreign shareholder investors who have no incentive to look out for consumers. Seems that Vermont has some effect on its neighbors.
Good for Vermont!! That is the way corporations should respond to the American people and our environmental issues. Maybe other corporations will follow their example.
Gosh a real live person--NO-- A--HOLE------ I must try to talk to!, ----SHOCKING !!! WHAT-- A--- CONCEPT----SOME CUSTOMER SERVICE ------ FOR A CHANGE. ! VERMONT HAS THE RIGHT IDEA . A---HOLES ARE YOU LISTENING? We are the bosses--NOW--! so get a grip,-the" earned" money may ride on it!
WOW! To know that this is possible, is encouraging.A public utility interested in the best possible source of energy for its customers rather than exploitive profit is reassuring....and a model we dare suggest to other utility companies.
well I did not make a suggestion instead I made a ------------DEMAND-there is a "NEW" BOSS IN TOWN-----and to save yourself YOU MUST WORK or you can fall by the wayside------------------JUST pick one--it's not hard!
This sounds like what I’ve thought for a while now— that having on-site solar and wind generation to feed batteries is what we should be aspiring to. Also, the fact that many people have backup generators already, homes and businesses would have another level of power security.
There is a lot of work still to do that will involve the production of batteries, wind generators, and solar units to be engineered and made available at a cost that is affordable. It certainly is deserving of investigation.
yes there is a cost to produce batteries, wind generators, solar units and the designing for this, and to pay for this--We--will take the cost out of the MONEY SAVED -----your jobs look like Hmm I don't know yet but you can count on------ US----TRUST ME!
Have you tried the pocketbook approach? Letting customers see the cost differential between decentralized, in home power and fossil fueled power generation might really work. It does fly in the face of "Bigger is Better", though.
Seems so simple,that it couldn’t be done,what if it is just as simple as that?Naah,that can’t work it’s not complicated enough,it’s not controversial enough,the 1%ers haven’t put a lock on it,can’t steal,any money from it,or control it!YET!
do not make it complicated----let them steal ONLY from each other (1% to 3%) and they must leave the customers alone. so let them steal ! but NO rate money HELL NO ! .the 1% to 3% who want to steal let them figure this out---and they will-----MAYBE ! BUT NOT FROM US.
Yes, it's good news. I understand that GMP is going to try, also, to underground the power lines to rural customers, especially. I don't know anyone who's much enamored of the look of electric poles and lines, but more importantly, trees falling on power lines is the main cause of outages.
This is not a complete solution to every problem. Batteries will carry one for a limited time of course, not forever. They can also help to reduce usage of higher-priced, peak-demand power when not operating in backup mode. I'd be interested to know whether several/many batteries could be configured into a microgrid, sharing capacity between customers when a large feeder line fails. A lot of our power is generated by Quebec Hydro, which is not uncontroversial; there's more info available on their website: greenmountainpower.com/energy-mix. We're part of the grid; it's not always clear, at least to me, where our juice comes from, but more wind and particularly solar is being built up.
You might be interested to listen to this, from October 31:
Thank you for this column. California has some of the highest utility costs in the nation and also has a risk of downed power lies causing major fires. This might help alleviate that!
one thing that MUST BE TALKED ABOUT IS--- FIRES---NOT MANY UTILITES TAKE CARE OF THIS PROPERTY ,SO WHAT IS THE ANSWER ? the company's cost depends on the Customer correct? so when this happens the cost MUST COME FROM THEIR POCKET( the companies)-- AND NOT THE THE CUSTOMERS POCKETS no rate hikes and this means NO RATE HIKES and they can not CHEAP OUT ON MAINTENANCE-- LIKE THEY DO--OR THEY WILL PAY. do you understand ? the companies must hurt as the Customers have been hurt, if they want to make MORE MONEY than DO NOT CHEAP OUT, a company has tried and LOST Big Time in Court(they tried a rate hike) and the Court said NO--HELL NO! they got the message. it cost them many of Millions to defend AND TO NO AVAIL THEY GOT THE MESSAGE --- AT LAST ---
Michigan state university installed solar panels over parking lots. It could be done at any public place and help to transition to electric vehicles instead of solar farms that need developing and maintaining
That is friggin amazing! When we lived on the Oregon coast, we were constantly losing power during winter windstorms. Our local PUD did get their power from Bonneville's Columbia River dams, so it was "water generated" but the deliver system isn't the best. Having individual power-generating equipment in every home would be absolutely wonderful!
Perhaps Ms. McClure can become a promoter of this plan.
We need a national figure to get Uncle Sam, 50 governors, and the numerous solar / wind - related companies to unite in plans to facilitate the transition to clean, low-cost energy that will save US and our PLANET.
I just got the EV, now I need my own filling station!
The transition to clean energy is not enough to save US and our planet. The carbon dioxide already launched into the atmosphere also needs to be reduced, from 420 ppm back down to its historical average of 300 ppm or civilization is still doomed. Read "Climate Restoration: The Only Future That Will Sustain the Human Race" by Peter Fiekowsky (Rivertowns Books, 2022), to learn how that might be accomplished by the end of the century.
Sounds sensible to me. Efficient, decentralizing, lessening dependency on massive networks and allowing for targeted assistance where most needed, customer-oriented and friendly... Seems like a model to be replicated.
Thanks Jim and the Lowdown Staff for bringing this important business idea to all of our attention. As mentioned by others, bigger is not necessarily better; for example tropical storm Sandy turned hurricane devastated many many miles of "big is better utilities" (Florida to New England). Thousands of businesses and homes were without power for lenghty periods, except for two small community owned utilites that restablished service to their utility service area in days to less than two weeks, not months and years as the "bigger is better" utilities. These communities could address the damage and destroyed homes and business, help their community members become stable and then begin to rebuild their lives, work, futures. Bigger is better (BisB), mostly for those that operate at the very top of these behemoth organizations, and less likely at the customer or worker level.
As storms become more frequent, more damaging and devastating, and more widespread it makes you wonder how these "BisB" can recover, rebuild, re-serve their customers with out significant no-power periods, significant costs to the US Government (i.e., we taxpayers) to help in the weeks and months in the immediate initial recover, and eventually the significant costs that will most likely to passed on to the affected ...maybe all of the the BisB customers.
Solar on houses and businesses and wind generated locally and then stored at or nearby the user could likely lessen the downtime for those affected by any event, be a smart cost-saving business approach for utilities and the customers they serve.
The losers could be the lobbyists, politicans, and the companies that have been stuffing money into their pockets and political campaigns to keep BisB in place and greedily taking more from their customers.
Economies of scale...blah blah blah. Notice the booster blather never ever asks "better for WHOM?!" Your last paragraph names the beneficiaries. BisB is described best as BisB.S.
How wonderful to get good news. Perhaps Vermont's intelligent plan will inspire other states to go forth and do likewise. Dare I have a little hope in these dark times?
Pine Tree public utility in Maine aims to replace the existing privately owned utility withnits foreign shareholder investors who have no incentive to look out for consumers. Seems that Vermont has some effect on its neighbors.
Good for Vermont!! That is the way corporations should respond to the American people and our environmental issues. Maybe other corporations will follow their example.
Gosh a real live person--NO-- A--HOLE------ I must try to talk to!, ----SHOCKING !!! WHAT-- A--- CONCEPT----SOME CUSTOMER SERVICE ------ FOR A CHANGE. ! VERMONT HAS THE RIGHT IDEA . A---HOLES ARE YOU LISTENING? We are the bosses--NOW--! so get a grip,-the" earned" money may ride on it!
WOW! To know that this is possible, is encouraging.A public utility interested in the best possible source of energy for its customers rather than exploitive profit is reassuring....and a model we dare suggest to other utility companies.
well I did not make a suggestion instead I made a ------------DEMAND-there is a "NEW" BOSS IN TOWN-----and to save yourself YOU MUST WORK or you can fall by the wayside------------------JUST pick one--it's not hard!
This sounds like what I’ve thought for a while now— that having on-site solar and wind generation to feed batteries is what we should be aspiring to. Also, the fact that many people have backup generators already, homes and businesses would have another level of power security.
There is a lot of work still to do that will involve the production of batteries, wind generators, and solar units to be engineered and made available at a cost that is affordable. It certainly is deserving of investigation.
yes there is a cost to produce batteries, wind generators, solar units and the designing for this, and to pay for this--We--will take the cost out of the MONEY SAVED -----your jobs look like Hmm I don't know yet but you can count on------ US----TRUST ME!
.
Have you tried the pocketbook approach? Letting customers see the cost differential between decentralized, in home power and fossil fueled power generation might really work. It does fly in the face of "Bigger is Better", though.
had not thought of that--,very good idea---. well worth looking into-- no joke-----THANK YOU FOR THIS IDEA VERY GOOD WOW!
Seems so simple,that it couldn’t be done,what if it is just as simple as that?Naah,that can’t work it’s not complicated enough,it’s not controversial enough,the 1%ers haven’t put a lock on it,can’t steal,any money from it,or control it!YET!
do not make it complicated----let them steal ONLY from each other (1% to 3%) and they must leave the customers alone. so let them steal ! but NO rate money HELL NO ! .the 1% to 3% who want to steal let them figure this out---and they will-----MAYBE ! BUT NOT FROM US.
Maybe the fossil fuel corporations could be required to release patents for renewable energy source technology that were bought and hidden away?
Yes, it's good news. I understand that GMP is going to try, also, to underground the power lines to rural customers, especially. I don't know anyone who's much enamored of the look of electric poles and lines, but more importantly, trees falling on power lines is the main cause of outages.
This is not a complete solution to every problem. Batteries will carry one for a limited time of course, not forever. They can also help to reduce usage of higher-priced, peak-demand power when not operating in backup mode. I'd be interested to know whether several/many batteries could be configured into a microgrid, sharing capacity between customers when a large feeder line fails. A lot of our power is generated by Quebec Hydro, which is not uncontroversial; there's more info available on their website: greenmountainpower.com/energy-mix. We're part of the grid; it's not always clear, at least to me, where our juice comes from, but more wind and particularly solar is being built up.
You might be interested to listen to this, from October 31:
https://support.vermontpublic.org/s/2084842/5bSqWrz2
Tim in Westmore, Vt
Thank you for this column. California has some of the highest utility costs in the nation and also has a risk of downed power lies causing major fires. This might help alleviate that!
one thing that MUST BE TALKED ABOUT IS--- FIRES---NOT MANY UTILITES TAKE CARE OF THIS PROPERTY ,SO WHAT IS THE ANSWER ? the company's cost depends on the Customer correct? so when this happens the cost MUST COME FROM THEIR POCKET( the companies)-- AND NOT THE THE CUSTOMERS POCKETS no rate hikes and this means NO RATE HIKES and they can not CHEAP OUT ON MAINTENANCE-- LIKE THEY DO--OR THEY WILL PAY. do you understand ? the companies must hurt as the Customers have been hurt, if they want to make MORE MONEY than DO NOT CHEAP OUT, a company has tried and LOST Big Time in Court(they tried a rate hike) and the Court said NO--HELL NO! they got the message. it cost them many of Millions to defend AND TO NO AVAIL THEY GOT THE MESSAGE --- AT LAST ---
Michigan state university installed solar panels over parking lots. It could be done at any public place and help to transition to electric vehicles instead of solar farms that need developing and maintaining
That is friggin amazing! When we lived on the Oregon coast, we were constantly losing power during winter windstorms. Our local PUD did get their power from Bonneville's Columbia River dams, so it was "water generated" but the deliver system isn't the best. Having individual power-generating equipment in every home would be absolutely wonderful!
Perhaps Ms. McClure can become a promoter of this plan.
We need a national figure to get Uncle Sam, 50 governors, and the numerous solar / wind - related companies to unite in plans to facilitate the transition to clean, low-cost energy that will save US and our PLANET.
I just got the EV, now I need my own filling station!
The transition to clean energy is not enough to save US and our planet. The carbon dioxide already launched into the atmosphere also needs to be reduced, from 420 ppm back down to its historical average of 300 ppm or civilization is still doomed. Read "Climate Restoration: The Only Future That Will Sustain the Human Race" by Peter Fiekowsky (Rivertowns Books, 2022), to learn how that might be accomplished by the end of the century.
Sounds sensible to me. Efficient, decentralizing, lessening dependency on massive networks and allowing for targeted assistance where most needed, customer-oriented and friendly... Seems like a model to be replicated.
Bravo for Vermont! This is way inspiring and they did the math on the batteries, sounds like. Brilliant.
Hooray for Vermont! Now, if we can just spread the word to the rest of the country and every single power company.
Catherine in Reno
Thanks Jim and the Lowdown Staff for bringing this important business idea to all of our attention. As mentioned by others, bigger is not necessarily better; for example tropical storm Sandy turned hurricane devastated many many miles of "big is better utilities" (Florida to New England). Thousands of businesses and homes were without power for lenghty periods, except for two small community owned utilites that restablished service to their utility service area in days to less than two weeks, not months and years as the "bigger is better" utilities. These communities could address the damage and destroyed homes and business, help their community members become stable and then begin to rebuild their lives, work, futures. Bigger is better (BisB), mostly for those that operate at the very top of these behemoth organizations, and less likely at the customer or worker level.
As storms become more frequent, more damaging and devastating, and more widespread it makes you wonder how these "BisB" can recover, rebuild, re-serve their customers with out significant no-power periods, significant costs to the US Government (i.e., we taxpayers) to help in the weeks and months in the immediate initial recover, and eventually the significant costs that will most likely to passed on to the affected ...maybe all of the the BisB customers.
Solar on houses and businesses and wind generated locally and then stored at or nearby the user could likely lessen the downtime for those affected by any event, be a smart cost-saving business approach for utilities and the customers they serve.
The losers could be the lobbyists, politicans, and the companies that have been stuffing money into their pockets and political campaigns to keep BisB in place and greedily taking more from their customers.
Economies of scale...blah blah blah. Notice the booster blather never ever asks "better for WHOM?!" Your last paragraph names the beneficiaries. BisB is described best as BisB.S.
Look up Niagra Falls, November 9, 1965. I remember that time and it has affected me ever since.
How wonderful to get good news. Perhaps Vermont's intelligent plan will inspire other states to go forth and do likewise. Dare I have a little hope in these dark times?