Cutting power use to the bone.

[Rustyiron]

I guess if you're not worried about cost or reliability.....
None of your first 3 are either.

 

[Torvy]

The oil and gas subsidies are only on the production end and only exist because those products are strategically necessary for defense and emergency management.

Green energies are subsidized on both ends and have no tangible strategic need.

 

[Roric]

Don't you think that perhaps the defense establishment is looking forward for better ways? Remember Patton's 3rd army, the tanks held up in battle by fuel woes? More recently, the Russian vehicles held up on the way to Kiev?
Alternative energy could be made to be deployed for defense.

Maybe power could be deployed quicker and more equitably after a disaster.
I'm thinking of the solar power arrival in Puerto Rico after their storms.

Doing things the old way isn't always the only way.

Just sayin'

R

 

[Torvy]

Bwahaha! Imagine the 3rd Army lined up waiting for superchargers or the clouds (or day) to break so they can fuel up from the sun. Diesel is much more portable. The only modern alternative is nuclear...not yet ready for thousands of tanks with little reactors.

 

[ponytug]

I think that some of you are perhaps a little behind the times. The DoD has been using field deployed alternative energy systems for more than twenty years.

There are a host of reasons, but let's start with a few;

• quiet (very useful for special forces)
• lightweight compared to generators
• the forward cost of fuel (forward cost of diesel in Afghanistan was over $100/gal)

All the best,

Peter

 

[Torvy]

I think that some of you are perhaps a little behind the times. The DoD has been using field deployed alternative energy systems for more than twenty years.

There are a host of reasons, but let's start with a few;

• quiet (very useful for special forces)
• lightweight compared to generators
• the forward cost of fuel (forward cost of diesel in Afghanistan was over $100/gal)

All the best,

Peter

Using it, absolutely. Replacing all (or even most) their fossil fueled equipment with it, no. SpecOps is very small volume compared to the rest of the military. It makes sense for them to use quiet EV in-theater. How did they and the EVs get there...Jets using oil based fuels.

Tanks, jets, most of the fleet are not going to switch. The point here is that oil is a strategic resource. Green power is not.

Even if they ran everything nuclear somehow, they would still need oil for plastics, materials and lubrication.

 

[Oaktree]

Another source of wasted energy that many overlook are all those tiny LED lights on appliances and electronic devices. Sure, each individual LED doesn't use much but many homes have several dozen burning 24/7. Just turn off the lights and walk around the house at night. You'll be amazed at how many there are.

Some LED's in hard wired appliances or those used frequently are difficult to turn off. You can however, unplug infrequently used devices like cell phone chargers, A/V equipment, PC's, etc.

The LEDs themselves use an almost undetectable amount of power. What does consume the so-called "phantom" power is the circuitry associated with them...the power supply, the circuitry for the remote control, etc. Your advice on unplugging unused appliances, phone chargers, etc. is solid.

 

[ultrarunner]

Impact of conservation is being muted…

I curtailed by 22% kW use at moms with LED mostly as she had the old three bulb 100W light bulb fixtures from the 50’s

Today the utility is requesting a 22% rate increase due to inflation and rising costs.

A lineman told me conservation is also a factor as homes become more efficient.

 

[ponytug]

Impact of conservation is being muted…

I curtailed by 22% kW use at moms with LED mostly as she had the old three bulb 100W light bulb fixtures from the 50’s

Today the utility is requesting a 22% rate increase due to inflation and rising costs.

A lineman told me conservation is also a factor as homes become more efficient.

Yes, conservation is a factor; California is the most efficient state on a kWh/person basis, a number that has improved pretty steadily since the 1970s.
Most and Least Energy Efficient States: Where Does Your State Rank? - EcoWatch
Massachusetts pulls off #2, which I think is impressive.

I suspect that continued EV uptake will alter that ranking in a bit.

Now if we are talking about keeping the power on, that is a different story. California ranks #48.

https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Electric-Utility-Performance-A-State-By-State-Data-Review_final.pdf

Here, we lose about 2.5kWh/day due to backup battery losses to guard against the lack of power reliability. Sigh.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ponytug]

A couple of energy efficiency maps from the Department of Energy;

U.S. Energy Efficiency Potential Maps

Maps to download from the Energy Efficiency Savings Benefits and Opportunities page.

www.energy.gov

My favorite;

This is kind of an oldie, but a goodie;