[Scoundreller]

Or just better demand response.

I’m completely happy if my dishwasher waits until the sun comes up to start. Or my dryer determines it’s a good idea to wait an hour before starting. Or if my XYZ charges super slow today because it’s not too windy. Or if my freezer goes into deep-freeze mode because...

I wish I got to pay the “real” price of electricity instead of lame time of day buckets.

[Gibbon1]

That brings up a point. Current pricing models are based on old technology where you have coal fired plants that can't turn down. And meters that can't do time of use metering. Power is cheaper at night because you can't just up and shutdown a coal fired plant. Residential rates are flat

I really think a lot of night time load is just industrial customers chasing price. Change the price structure and they'll immediately adjust their time of use to match. Certainly smarter appliances could also chase low rates like industrial users.

[ThomPete]

Yeah but you wouldn't be happy that your incubator or AC didn't work when it needed to. You wouldn't be happy either if factories can't produce enough food because they would have to wait for wind or sun.

[Dylan16807]

> Yeah but you wouldn't be happy that your incubator or AC didn't work when it needed to.

You can spend some of the money you'd otherwise save on electricity in those cases.

> You wouldn't be happy either if factories can't produce enough food because they would have to wait for wind or sun.

A factory shifting hours wouldn't be noticeable at all by the time the product reaches the consumer weeks later.

If the factory isn't running enough hours at all, that's not a problem caused by renewables being unpredictable. That's just bad management.

[ThomPete]

You would burn them money to create enough energy or what exactly is your point?

[Dylan16807]

If you think supply and demand is going to completely stop working, then you can use your money to have a battery.

But more realistically you'll be able to pay more per watt for that short period and get as many amps as your house can handle.

[ThomPete]

I am not sure whether you are serious or not, but yo do know that only a fraction of humans can do what you are propsing rigt?

[Dylan16807]

If your power gets cheaper because it's all renewables, then anyone could save up that money and use it for those situations.

But also, buying such a variable-price contract is only going to be an option. If you want a certain amount of guaranteed-price power, as an individual household, there will always be someone willing it to you.

[sandworm101]

>> if factories can't produce enough food

We could all probably do well eating a little less factory-produced food and a little more farm-produced food.

[ThomPete]

You going to tell the poor that they need to pay more for their organic grasfeed wagu beefs?