TX Residents Asked to Voluntarily Reduce Electric Use as Grid Strains Under Heat | Hacker News Reader

TX Residents Asked to Voluntarily Reduce Electric Use as Grid Strains Under Heat

gizmodo.com

3 pointsrntn6 comments

Futile effort. AC units draw an enormous amount of power. The only thing that might help is drying clothes outside since dryers also pack a serious draw. Now who is with me!

I moved to central Europe a few years ago. I don't know a single person who uses a dryer over here, even though some washing machines include that feature. We all have those folding drying racks. Saves power and wear on clothing. I can't believe I used a dryer all those years in the USA.

Also, it seems beyond dumb that TX is not a solar powerhouse. Is there a valid argument against solar in TX?

TX is a solar powerhouse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Texas?wprov=sfl...

That wiki page does not really give me any context.

I see here [0] that solar is ~4% of TX electricity supply vs Germany's ~8%. [1]

Texas has twice the land area and 50 million less people taking up space. Let's not even consider the relative insolation.

It seems to me that Texas could do a lot more.

I wonder if investment in Texas PV would be more attractive if you could sell the power to other states in non-summer months. As I understand it, a solar farm in Texas would not be connected to the national grids, correct?

[0] https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/2022/sep/...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Germany

I will personally give you context. Nobody in my neighborhood is doing solar panels. Why? Because we don't want that on our roof. It looks like shit ok. It ruins the look of the house. We have enough coin to not do it and waste as much energy as we want. If you want to do it then go for it. I personally do not care what you think or do with your own coin. If you want to put solar panels on top of your car, on your lawnmower DO IT. I will not and never will. Nothing you can do about it.

Do high dollar people have solar panels on their roof? NO. They do not. It looks like s**. They do not do this. You might find a few but solar is a sign of financial weakness. Take Obama with his propane tanks. Do you see solar on his house? Getting rid of gas.NO. You do not. These things are for the feeble minded and weak:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/gas-prices-obama-pro...

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