SCIREMC Board?

[bwframe]

Got this left on my door a bit ago...



Do we know this gent? Vote for him or not?

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Who? And what?

 

[bwframe]

Who? And what?

Sorry my friend. Took a second to get the pic uploaded.

South Central Indiana REMC. Electricity and Internet for a lot of us south of you.

 

[indyjohn]

Southern Indiana Electric Utility Cooperative.

They've constructed a number of solar farms in recent years, two along I-65 between Columbus and Henryville.

I am not familiar with the named gentleman, but the solar farms are what the letter is referring to as 'carbon free'.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Thanks bw! I recently changed to this Brave browser so I wasn't sure if there was something there that the browser just wasn't letting me see or something.

As for that letter, I'm not sure what he has in mind for transitioning to carbon free electricity. Solar? Wind? And how would fiber internet help accomplish that?

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Southern Indiana Electric Utility Cooperative.

They've constructed a number of solar farms in recent years, two along I-65 between Columbus and Henryville.

I am not familiar with the named gentleman, but the solar farms are what the letter is referring to as 'carbon free'.

Ah! Asked and answered. Thanks John.

 

[JCSR]

Dude lost my vote with "carbon free".

 

[bwframe]

Dude lost my vote with "carbon free".

Pretty concerning.

I've always thought those solar farms were a real waste of my cooperative money.

 

[JCSR]

Pretty concerning.

I've always thought those solar farms were a real waste of my cooperative money.

Waste of farm land as well

 

[KellyinAvon]

And how would fiber internet help accomplish this?

I was wondering that myself. Does it replace the wood-burning Internet?

 

[BehindBlueI's]

And how would fiber internet help accomplish that?

Profitability of providing internet service subsidizing cost of electricity generation would be my guess.

 

[bwframe]

I don't use REMC's fiber Internet service. It sounded interesting for the years and years and years that they promoted they were building it, but when it become available, it was nowhere near competitive price wise.

It certainly makes one wonder that if there was competition for electricity service, how much more competitive the pricing might be? And maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't throw away our money on "solar farms"?

 

[foszoe]

I don't use REMC's fiber Internet service. It sounded interesting for the years and years and years that they promoted they were building it, but when it become available, it was nowhere near competitive price wise.

It certainly makes one wonder that if there was competition for electricity service, how much more competitive the pricing might be? And maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't throw away our money on "solar farms"?

OH, IL, MI are deregulated.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

It certainly makes one wonder that if there was competition for electricity service, how much more competitive the pricing might be?

I really like electric utilities as an investment but don't really understand a lot of the underlying factors. I just know they are pretty safe bets, tend to be good dividend payers, and as a society we are constantly increasing our power demands.

That said, from what I can tell results are mixed, but I don't know how to control for other factors. I think you could probably make the case either way depending on what assumptions you make. Louisiana has the lowest electric rates in the nation and they are regulated. Most of New England is deregulated but have very high rates. I don't think that means regulated is cheaper because it's regulated. I think it means the underlying costs are just higher in places like Vermont. Deregulation only applies to generation, and competition is limited to players close enough that transmission costs keep them relevant. An expensive to build and maintain grid (like a rural grid with fewer customers per given amount of infrastructure, severe weather damage fairly often, etc) is still going to make higher retail costs.

 

[KLB]

OH, IL, MI are deregulated.

Sort of. There is the producer and there are resellers. You have to be really careful with the resellers.

 

[GTM]

My dad's on the board at SCIREMC. You wouldn't believe the amount of training board members have to go through. It's far more complex than I would have imagined. It's quite a commitment in time and energy.

Also, keep in mind it's a cooperative. The members own the cooperative.

 

[rooster]

Gotta have internet to have smart meters...

also I’m all for moving towards clean energy but the current rate of progression is gonna leave many in the state out of a job without a chance to retool or re-educate. many of the tradesmen getting put out of work by the rush to shut the coal and now natural gas plants down only just got into the trades after losing their jobs in the coal

Who are they hiring to install the solar? I’d bet a dime against a dollar says it’s an out of town outfit that will do nothing but take money out of the community and the state.

 

[bwframe]

Who are they hiring to install the solar? I’d bet a dime against a dollar says it’s an out of town outfit that will do nothing but take money out of the community and the state.

Havn't seen a bit of a reduction in the billing for this "free power" either? Years after the equipment should have been paid for.

 

[Jaybird1980]

I don't use REMC's fiber Internet service. It sounded interesting for the years and years and years that they promoted they were building it, but when it become available, it was nowhere near competitive price wise.

It certainly makes one wonder that if there was competition for electricity service, how much more competitive the pricing might be? And maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't throw away our money on "solar farms"?

Our Coop is just now starting to get ready to build the internet lines into our area. I have been curious as to how they will be able to price it, we will wait and see i guess.

 

[rooster]

Havn't seen a bit of a reduction in the billing for this "free power" either? Years after the equipment should have been paid for.

A lot of the power companies are actually leasing their panels on 5 year leases. Hard to pass on cost savings when there are none.

solar is great, we have to transition to clean power. I own a Tesla and am planning out my own solar setup for the new house. That said this massive push to move to solar in the next 5 years is gonna put 10’s of thousands of people out of work. These aren’t low paying jobs either. These are men and women who are clearing 6 figures a year.