The electrical grid needs some form of centralized planning and control

Reader comment on: The Socialists of Sanford Bernstein

Submitted by Lyle (United States), Nov 19, 2009 21:17

It need not be government but someone has to decide which plants run when. Generally this in the us is done by groups regional groups such as the New York Power Pool, PJM Penn, NJ,Maryland etc. The issue becomes that today states control power siting etc, so that if one wants to move power from say the Dakotas to Chicago, one needs to get at least MN and WI on board, but then who will pay for it? (IN particular since this example would cross power pools.) In particular the NIMBY folks tend to interfere, but I think if they were paid off (all be it by everyone else) they would go away. Why did Texas succeed in wind farms, the land was private and to a rancher a wind turbine is free money, for a small loss of grazing area.

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