Elinktricity
Hello, Brownouts, our old friend!
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) February 13, 2019
LA's gas-burning power plants "are what's known as peaker plants, which means they run when the city needs that little bit of extra power on the hottest days when we're all running our air conditioners and demand for power is high." https://t.co/2JibiAJuYq
Austin has several of those units as well. Both run on natural gas. Both are inefficient. Both are noisy. But on a hot August afternoon they help prevent the grid from collapsing. There's been NO discussion about shutting them down, which would be insane.
roadgeek at February 13, 2019 4:47 AM
Isn't natural gas a "clean burning" fuel? Why would you shut down something that has minimal effect on the environment when compared to other fuels?
Jay at February 13, 2019 4:57 AM
Today is the anniversary of the fire-bombing of Dresden during World War II.
Was this a war crime? Was it worse than the atomic bomb?
Conan the Grammarian at February 13, 2019 5:23 AM
Today is the anniversary of the fire-bombing of Dresden during World War II.
Was this a war crime? Was it worse than the atomic bomb?
Conan the Grammarian at February 13, 2019 5:23 AM
Thought it was payback for Coventry?
A lot of strategically unnecessary shit went on in World War II. MacArthur’s horrible loss of Philippine and American lives in taking back Manilla being one of them.
Once warfare advanced to needing civilian manufacturing as an industrial base, in the strictest sense there is really no such thing as a civilian city anymore. This is particularly true if the country doing the whining about war crimes was the aggressor.
Isab at February 13, 2019 5:51 AM
From time to time, one hears of helicopter parents bracketing their children's professors, or accompanying them to job interviews. This mom, however, takes things a little further.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at February 13, 2019 6:01 AM
Garcetti is d-u-m dumb when it comes to energy. Fast-start gas plants are exactly what you need when you're relying on a lot of solar/wind, because of the unpredictable nature of those sources (especially wind). Basically, for every unit of renewables you add to the grid, you commit yourself to an equal amount of fast-start fossil fuel generation, oil or gas. And, you've probably heard it before, but: If you claim to be serious about global warming, but you oppose nuclear power, you aren't serious about global warming.
(Which is another problem: nuclear, in addition to facing massive opposition from the Left, is getting squeezed economically. Existing reactor designs are relatively expensive to operate and maintain. Nuclear is having to compete with cheaper gas generation on one side, and with heavily subsidized renewables on the other. The answer is to start putting advanced designs into service. But the approval and licensing process takes decades, literally. Investors can choose between building a gas plant that will be online in eight months, or a nuclear plant that might be licensed by 2045, maybe.)
Cousin Dave at February 13, 2019 6:31 AM
A hallmark of a dysfunctional culture: Even when there is no money to pay for food, there's still money to pay for vices.
Cousin Dave at February 13, 2019 7:01 AM
They're still criminals, Bob.
https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1095105535605538816
I R A Darth Aggie at February 13, 2019 7:32 AM
Wait, what?
https://worldnewsdailyreport.com/man-accused-of-ejaculating-in-his-boss-coffee-everyday-for-4-years/
I R A Darth Aggie at February 13, 2019 7:43 AM
"What will education look like in 10 years?"
(Hint: It won't look well, to say the least.)
https://thecitizen.com/2019/02/12/prediction-within-10-years-a-diagnosis-for-almost-every-student/
lenona at February 13, 2019 9:15 AM
The greening of the world.
https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1095144214533410816
I R A Darth Aggie at February 13, 2019 10:31 AM
From Lenona's link. Emphasis mine, that portion stood out to me like a neon sign. Big, if true.
I R A Darth Aggie at February 13, 2019 10:37 AM
@Cousin Dave,
Another reason for investors to skip Nuclear, is that unlike other power plants, its maintenance cannot be neglected. You just can't cut corners without making everyone in the vicinity of the building glow in the dark.
Sixclaws at February 13, 2019 10:50 AM
Alas, poor Yorick!
https://reason.com/volokh/2018/11/17/american-civil-liberties-union-rip
I R A Darth Aggie at February 13, 2019 10:56 AM
There's no money for food, for medicine, for the rent, for the baby's care. But you tell them Vamonos a chupar unas cervezas!? and there's always funds for that.
Sixclaws at February 13, 2019 11:02 AM
I would love it if the LA mayor got rid of the gas plants. It would show what a really "renewable" world looks like without fossil fuel backup. I visited China 25 yrs ago and the water would shut off at random times--caught me with a full lather of shampoo in my hair one day. A 3rd world utilities structure is a pain in the butt. Let LA be a demo like cali is with their train. We need demos.
cc at February 13, 2019 11:21 AM
Looks like Newsom is scaling back on the LA->SF high speed train.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-12/california-governor-says-he-s-dropping-high-speed-rail-plan
I R A Darth Aggie at February 13, 2019 11:26 AM
Cocaine Mitch is at it again.
https://twitter.com/Mahaleris/status/1095522203112747008
I R A Darth Aggie at February 13, 2019 11:32 AM
Evidently the LA City Council doesn't give a hoot about First Amendment rights. Pretty sure nobody has to disclose their religion or sexual orientation to do business with the city.
https://abc7.com/politics/la-city-council-votes-unanimously-to-require-contractors-to-disclose-nra-ties/5135327/?fbclid=IwAR1oqn_Ht-O7cvNUone2t0QpAloivygpXj7SebKt3jFneWjH8NZInaL1tW0
sara at February 13, 2019 12:16 PM
"I would love it if the LA mayor got rid of the gas plants. It would show what a really "renewable" world looks like without fossil fuel backup."
But it would only demonstrate this *if* there were no grid connections to power sources in other, saner states. Otherwise, LA would just buy power at peak times and sell it back off-peak, and still claim that they are "100% renewable."
David Foster at February 13, 2019 12:52 PM
re Dresden, there is a good German movie (from 2006) centered around the bombing. I reviewed it, with thoughts on the morality of this kind of strategic bombing, here:
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/7260.html
David Foster at February 13, 2019 12:56 PM
Add armor to your ride. In case you have to drive the Fury Road.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a26293067/armored-cadillac-escalade/
I R A Darth Aggie at February 13, 2019 1:27 PM
"Another reason for investors to skip Nuclear, is that unlike other power plants, its maintenance cannot be neglected. You just can't cut corners without making everyone in the vicinity of the building glow in the dark."
Yeah, that's an issue with existing reactors. The thing is, all of the commercial power-generating reactors operating right now in the U.S. are based on designs from the 1950s. There are much better designs available now, which would be safer, easier to control, require less maintenance, and generate less high-level waste.
Cousin Dave at February 14, 2019 7:55 AM
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