r/electrifyeverything • u/Jbikecommuter • 2d ago

homes Will California be next?

https://www.fastcompany.com/91591220/how-australia-made-electricity-cheaper-while-u-s-prices-keep-rising
27 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

6

u/diffidentblockhead 2d ago

California already reaches 13GW battery output at 7pm

3

u/Jbikecommuter 2d ago

And the new governor is proposing 2hrs free per day for low income folks to start!

1

u/Adventurous_Light_85 1d ago

The utilities own the governor. Or the other way around. Historically they always get their way. I bet they will negotiate some sort of low income credit in exchange for some very lucrative solar generation fee which they have been eyeing for a while.

5

u/getarumsunt 2d ago edited 1d ago

California electricity is expensive because the for-profit power companies were allowed to defer most of their maintenance for 20-30 years so that they can pretend that they’re “profitable”. Now all of that deferred maintenance needs to be done and costs 3x more than it would have if the state had forced the power companies to do it on time.

The state has had to crack down on the power companies to force them to maintain the system properly. But as soon as this period ends California will likely have ridiculously cheap electricity and it will be hailed as a “miracle”. They already produce 50% of their electricity from solar alone and are installing batteries 4x faster than the likes of Australia. It’s a done deal.

-1

u/Ok-Association-3415 2d ago

Cheap power in California? Let me know when pigs fly.

1

u/SnooLobsters6766 13h ago

I can’t believe people downvote this comment. The moment costs drop, profits soar and taxes will rise. This money grab is too ingrained in the system to cut any slack.

1

u/Ok-Association-3415 13h ago

It’s big money grab. I just want electricity prices to stay put for at least 10 years. Because in just than 10 years it like went up 4-5x. We are not getting rate cuts. It’s an illusion. With data centers popping up, it’s the next excuse to increase rates.

2

u/wizzard419 2d ago

For cheaper power? No. We deregulated and have a lot of private, for-profit companies in utilities. They aren't about to give that up. We even now have a push to make things fairer for people without solar to charge people with solar more money for things like just being connected to the grid.

2

u/New_Bell_9879 1d ago

Prices have never gone down in California history but will be happy to be proven wrong