[whiteknight]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('skyemoor', '
')Which solar panel are you referring to? The ones I saw there only went up to 100 watts ($799), which is close to the maximum output of most commercially available panels.

[skyemoor]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('strider3700', 'I') assume he meant watts. 300 Amps is a lot for a house.

[Barbara]

http://redazione.romaone.it/4Daction/We ... 298&doc=si

This was on every italian TV evening news yesterday. Anybody remembering the 2003 italian blackout, with the whole nation in the dark for 12 hours? Well it was a Sunday. A man sued the electric company because "he couldn't properly enjoy his Sunday resting, watching TV and having friends visiting because of the blackout".
The court said he was right. The electric company (ENEL) was condemned to pay € 225 for the "existential damage".

Now I'm here thinking. So people here believe to have a RIGHT to get electricity 24/7. But the scary part, is that judges believe it too. And it was not a loss of money, a loss of work, but simply a loss of leisure... People can sue and get paid because they can't watch TV.

I think I'll write a letter to the judge and the man saying the two magic words...

[BabyPeanut]

Be careful how you present Peak Oil. You might want to have others read any letters you write first to check them.

[something_awfull]

"existential damage"?

[ozkrenske]

Suing utilities - Well it would depend on what was in their standard contract would it not. If the Electricity supply company said you wouldn't be cut off and you were, there in trouble. Even if they just didn't mention it, at all, it could be construed that delivery is guaranteed.

It would need specific indemnity clauses in the standard contract and would in many countries need signatures against each block of the contract to be binding.

[rogerhb]

The advertising industry should bu able to sue the power companies for blackouts that prevent people watching their propaganda.

[AirlinePilot]

Ask him if he can find out from any of the locals how much this has happened in the recent past? Is it something abnormal or have they done this in the recent past? I'm curious. It's like our two days off from school here in GA last year due to a shortage of diesel fuel for the buses. Everyone thought it was no big deal, to me it was a warning sign. This kind of stuff likely just isn't normal.

[Leanan]

The inventories of oil and gas are high now, so it can't be shortages. Must be a capacity thing.

The sudden cold snap in the U.S. combined with the sudden increase in violence in Nigeria is probably going to gladden the hearts of oil investors...

[Leanan]

I suspect they just don't have the capacity to produce that much electricity. It's a common problem in the northeast, both when temperatures are really high in the summer (due to use of airconditioners) and when they are really low in winter.

Our electricity infrastructure is old and creaky, and really not up to handling current demand. One reason I don't think electric cars are going to be the answer.

[Novus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Leanan', 'T')he inventories of oil and gas are high now, so it can't be shortages. Must be a capacity thing.

[Leanan]

The way it works in the Northeast is natural gas stored during the summer (in tanks, underground caverns, etc.) and used during the winter. Since around 2000, there's been concern about supplies, because we're using so much in summer. (For air-conditioning.) It means we're not storing enough for winter. We've been really lucky, because the last few years have been mild, both summers and winters. There was some worry this summer, because it was so hot, but we lucked out again by having an extraordinarily warm winter.

But even when fuel supplies are ample, we can have load problems. Utilities are not going to build extra power plants just for a load that occurs only once every few years. They'd sit there doing nothing most of the time. It's just not worth it. So when there's unusual demand, they have to ask people to conserve, and impose rolling blackouts if that's not enough.

[Sleepybag]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')hat about the many families in the metro are that have infants, or elderly people that live in poorly insulated homes/apartments?

[DantesPeak]

Problem blamed on low natural gas supplies. Looks like the NG infrastructure (in addition to electrical generation) also does not do well in extreme weather.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '2')/18/06 AP Alert - CO. 18:24:41



AP Alert - Colorado
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


February 18, 2006


CO Cold Power


DENVER_With temperatures below zero, Xcel Energy was forced to conduct rolling blackouts in the Denver Metro Area on Saturday.

Tom Henley of Xcel said by midmorning power had been restored to the entire area, although that could change at any moment. He said the 30-minute outages affected about 100,000 customers at a time.

He said a shortage of natural gas coming into the state in pipelines was the problem, and it affected areas served by Xcel along the entire Front Range. The only blackouts were in the Denver area, however. The company was working to increase the flow of natural gas and hoped to control the problem by Saturday evening.

Henley said customers were being asked to conserve energy, including electricity. He noted that natural gas is used to generate electricity.

At 10 a.m., the temperature at Denver International Airport was -4 degrees.

[Leanan]

From that thread, it sounds like they might have suffered some kind of equipment failure. Though it might be related to the heavy demand.

Or maybe it's equipment failure on top of the rolling blackouts?

[Novus]

Here is a solution. How about smaller homes that are heated with passive solar. Geothermal home heating heat systems could also save people a bundle.

[Leanan]

Here's a link

A pipe capacity problem, maybe? I would think if it was gas supplies, a lot more than Denver would be affected.

[MacG]

When listening to this interview, you can get the impression that those reported storage numbers might be somewhat less reliable and accurate. I dont know what to belive really, those guys are money managers trying to attract the money of the extremely contrarian crowd. George Blake have a very mean laugh though...

[Novus]

You can easily inflate storage numbers by ajusting the pressure the gas is stored at. For example gas stored a 5 psi takes up twice the volume that gas stored at 10 psi does. Storage numbers only give you the volume of the gas being stored but without telling us the pressure it is stored at the number is meaningless. It could be like comparing apples to oranges. They could be saying we have more apples this year than we had oranges last year. It is very easy to fool a public which has no knowledge of even basic science.

[Leanan]

MarketWatch reports that Xcel Energy would not give a reason for the natural gas shortage.

TheDenverChannel.com says power has been restored to all customers, but "that could change at any moment."