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Sometimes we create our own problems. (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago* by to c/microblogmemes@lemmy.world
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[–] 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I see this posted a lot as if this is an issue with capitalism. No, this is what happens when you have to deal with maintaining the power grid using capitalism as a tool.

The framing of it as the problem being that the price is going down rather than that excess power is feeding into the grid is what makes it an issue with capitalism. The thing you should be questioning is why MIT Technology Review is talking about some consequence of the problem that only exists because of capitalism instead of talking about the problem itself.

And before you downvote/object with some knee-jerk reaction that I'm being pedantic, consider this alternative way of framing it:

The opportunity is that solar panels create lots of electricity in the middle of sunny days, frequently more than what's currently required, so it is necessary to develop new flexible sources of demand so that the excess energy doesn't damage the power grid.

That's pretty vastly different, isn't it?

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    MIT Technology Review is talking

    they did talk about this many years ago. This is a very old screenshot that has been around the internet for probably a decade at a guess. You might notice the check mark because this was from a time that twitter actually vetted sources. There's nothing wrong with a publication having bad takes on occasion. That does happen now and again.

    The telling part is the fact that this one single tweet keeps being reposted repeatedly, with the reply as if this is a substantive criticism of capitalism.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I don't like using the term capitalism because it is too vague. Political corruption protecting oligarchy/big corporations is the problem.

    Inflation resulting from start of full war on Russia and resulting oil/diesel price spike forced the wrong policy of higher interest rates. The theory in the past is that increasing austerity on consumers reduce their driving, and preventing business investment also reduces expanded demand for scarce FFs.

    In the dynamics of energy disruption, high interest rates are the biggest cost obstacle for renewables and less new renewables is more oil/FF extortion power. At 2000 sun hours/year, $1/watt solar installation, could get a 16 year payback = 100% overall profit at 3c/kwh price. 2c/kwh at 3000 sun hours/year. Every 2% in interest costs, increases required price by 1c/kwh.

    Protection of existing assets/supply scarcity is not affected by higher interest rates. New oil wells do have a big upfront cost, but they also have a huge power and maintenance requirement that is paid for with the product taken out of the ground, with ROI protections if renewables can be suppressed, including with high interest rates.

    Political corruption favouring scarcity over abundance is the problem. Cheap energy or steel is a huge competitive and life quality advantage. Use cheap inputs for more productivity and happier life with cheaper cost.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

    That's pretty vastly different, isn't it?

    Not really. It's like saying toast falls butter side down, vs toast falls non-buttered side up?

    Perhaps some are conditioned for an emotional response, rather than a rational one, upon hearing certain words? That's why you suggest to avoid them, even to describe the same issue?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    People are emotionally driven animals at the end of the day. As much as we try to argue otherwise, it's our default state. It's not conditioning, it's nature. If you believe yourself to be otherwise, then you're susceptible to being emotionally exploited without even realizing it. I had a coworker rant in circles for 2 hours the other week about how he's very rational and how people need to stop reacting emotionally to things, while also going on about how Democrats are snowflakes and Republicans use facts and logic in their arguments, and how despite having trans friends, he'll never see them as their actual gender because "basic biology" and people shouldn't expect others to accommodate things like calling them by the right name.

    That said, how you frame a problem can vastly affect how people consider solving it. A great example is one that somebody else posted in this thread talking about how sime companies that see electricity as an expense rather than something that reduces profits are actually moving towards building their own renewable energy infrastructure because it'll drive their expenses down in the long run.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    As much as we try to argue otherwise, it's our default state. It's not conditioning, it's nature.

    I think you're excluding a large group of people (1). The nature vs nurture debate on that one isn't clearly solved, but it seems one both needs the genetics and conditioning to arrive at an emotion based, rather than cognitive based, thinking system. Let alone to develop those specific triggers.

    see electricity as an expense rather than something that reduces profits

    An expense is something that reduces profit. They're the same :)

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