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Forced by fascism to use green tech. This must hurt MAGA.
We need to pass laws to force data centers off the electrical grid. Make them use solar and batteries.
Not incorrect but we're heading towards a future where the grid might be a backup option. Which benefits us all.
We've basically had this scenario unfold in the Netherlands during the last ~15 years. It lead to energy companies charging customers for sending their excess electricity to the grid for some reason.
Wow! That's like, the opposite of how you ensure a grid is robust.
Idk what's going on in NL, but here in Estonia it's necessary because there's so much excess production in the summer sometimes that it could destabilize the grid if it was all allowed to the grid.
This makes the fossil fuel plants shut down completely during excess periods and people get smart inverters and batteries to prevent selling to the grid when there's too much production.
It's a variable rate though. For example tonight the lowest price will be 1.45 cents per kWh, but if there's a ton of sunlight being predicted for a weekend in the summer, it can go negative.
Data centres not being able to get connections to the grid is making them get gas generators, e.g. this. We need to be taxing that more, not arbitratily limiting electricity usage and forcing businesses into using fossil fuels.
I rather suspect that there will be a massive increase in domestic terrorism because of situations precisely like this over the next few years.
I don't condone violence, I'm just stating that this is a logical byproduct of driving the general populace into a desperate situation where they have nothing to lose.
Wait why would someone do a terrorism when they could pay less than they are paying now?
You've not seen true desperation before. I'm not saying that buying solar panels are wrong, I'm saying that people who are worried about dying of heat stroke or freezing to death (climate dependent of course) because the power is out may not act rationally.
A burning data centre will keep you warm for a while
If someone can’t afford their electric bill how are they going to afford solar panels?
Solar panels are so cheap that they are cheaper than your electric bill... That is the entire point of getting them.
Solar panels are cheaper in the long run after up front costs. People who can’t afford their monthly electric bill don’t have the capital for the up front costs.
But if I could afford to install a system, yes it would be cheaper after X amount of years.
This is literally what loans are for. Some installers here offer interest free loans too.
Loans come with interest payments which makes the cost increase. If someone can’t afford solar panels without a loan then they can’t afford them with the additional interest payments.
The whole point of interest free loan is that there is no interest payments on it.
Do you think that people living paycheck to paycheck have good enough credit for a loan?
Been way below the poverty line before, living off £8k a year back in 2016. Other than buying a house I have never borrowed money so I would expect my credit was fine, tbh never had any idea what it is or a reason to care.
Because it doesn't cost as much?
Heh the image used by the article looks AI generated,
Driving homeowners to solar and batteries.
I know lol I had the same thought, I'm pretty sure it is.
A Nevada utility just told 49,000 Lake Tahoe residents that it’s redirecting 75% of their electricity supply to data centers — and they have less than a year to find a new power source.
In what developed country can a utility company just cancel a customer's access to a critically important service?
Last I checked "Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" did not include electricity!
Even before the price increases coming from these huge power guzzlers being built solar and batteries has paid off. Its not uncommon to see something like 5 cent a KWh or payoff in about 7 to 10 years depending on which way you want to look at it. Solar is so good for this, it scales from house level all the way up to big grid projects in the MWs.
Americans are all about rugged individualism, aren't they?!!?
this post was submitted on 18 May 2026
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