Abbott / ERCOT

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,414]

This is the new normal if we allow it. Their process will be to run the electric supply as close to the demand as possible. This will lead to periodic blackouts and higher prices.

If you want to show your dissatisfaction at either Abbott or ERCOT, then don't conserve power today. Do the opposite during peak hours: lower your home temp, run appliances, charge up your electric car.  And more importantly, tell others to do the same.

Go about your day as a freedom-loving American and don't heed the call to sit in a hot house.

 

[Captainant 27,465]

Civil disobedience isn't really nonviolent when you're hoping to break the power grid. That shit has real consequences. My grandma's house had it's AC compressor go out a couple days ago and her 60's era home was in the low 90s by noon. 

I agree that ain't nothin gonna change without real consequences, but it's certainly a fraught proposition to contribute to what could be a traumatic and deadly event. 

...

Or maybe I'm just some pussy bleeding heart libtard, idk. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,414]

4 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Civil disobedience isn't really nonviolent when you're hoping to break the power grid. That shit has real consequences. My grandma's house had it's AC compressor go out a couple days ago and her 60's era home was in the low 90s by noon. 

I agree that ain't nothin gonna change without real consequences, but it's certainly a fraught proposition to contribute to what could be a traumatic and deadly event. 

...

Or maybe I'm just some pussy bleeding heart libtard, idk. 

I hear you but our current system is set up to fail in extreme temps which appear to happen more and more frequently. People die in those events as well.

Since the 2021 freeze what exactly has Abbott and other leaders done to bring on new generation capacity? Correct me if I'm wrong I seriously do not know if they've encouraged any new generation capacity. After all, days like this can lead to huge profits for the current generators. Why should they invest to make less money?

 

[Bookman 4,611]

8 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Since the 2021 freeze what exactly has Abbott and other leaders done to bring on new generation capacity?

I think they basically told the oil and gas companies to write their own rules to fix the problem.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,414]

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Abbott spoke to the generating companies about protecting their equipment during freezes to ensure that they can keep the lights on. This is a positive step but the absolute minimum.

Abbott should be talking about policies that require more generation capacity or penalties for those not actively reinvesting their profits in Texas.

As for today, I'm not suggesting anyone go out of their way to waste electricity, I'm only suggesting that conserving power today is voting for the status quo.

[wildcat09 29,258]

Abbott encouraged a lot of bitcoin miners to move their operations here, which increased demand substantially. So he personally managed to actually make things worse since the freeze.

[hpslugga 4,044]

 

[SubliminalHorn 6,674]

I get what you’re saying. But I would rather not have the grid completely fail and then it takes weeks to months to fix

Edited July 12, 2022 by SubliminalHorn

[The Royal We 3,065]

5 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

I get what you’re saying. But I would rather not have the grid completely fail and then it takes weeks to months to fix

I think they've shown they'll let people die in their homes before they let this happen.  Not saying I agree with Eddie on this one, but I can't see them letting the grid totally collapse.  They'd shed load to make sure it doesn't get to that.  I think.  Maybe. 

I'm on the little finger of east Texas that is not on the ERCOT grid so me running my A/C at 68 24/7 won't contribute to bringing Texas down.

[troph 24,563]

How about we just vote for politicians that want to focus only on the mundane of governing instead of hypocritical church deacons who want to criminalize gay sex while they jerk each other off in back rooms? 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,414]

I'm not advising people to be wasteful. Don't fire up unnecessary appliances or re-install the old incandescent light bulbs that you have no idea why you still have them. I'm just suggesting that our electrical usage behavior shouldn't be altered to save Abbott's and ERCOT's incompetence yet another time.

I work from home and I'm using my electricity as I normally would. 

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20,344]

1 hour ago, Captainant said:

Civil disobedience isn't really nonviolent when you're hoping to break the power grid. That shit has real consequences. My grandma's house had it's AC compressor go out a couple days ago and her 60's era home was in the low 90s by noon. 

I agree that ain't nothin gonna change without real consequences, but it's certainly a fraught proposition to contribute to what could be a traumatic and deadly event. 

...

Or maybe I'm just some pussy bleeding heart libtard, idk. 

Tell granny to suck it up! She used to walk 6 miles --- each way ----- through the desert to school wearing nothing but rags on her feet, and water didn't even have water back then.

 

[Js1 85,110]

10 minutes ago, troph said:

How about we just vote for politicians that want to focus only on the mundane of governing instead of hypocritical church deacons who want to criminalize gay sex while they jerk each other off in back rooms? 

Don’t be so ridiculous. They’re usually fucking little boys back there. 

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13,546]

34 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

Abbott encouraged a lot of bitcoin miners to move their operations here, which increased demand substantially. So he personally managed to actually make things worse since the freeze.

I'm assuming they get paid in dollars.

"Grid operator the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) brokers “demand response” agreements that pay companies, including some Bitcoin miners, to decrease operations at periods of peak demand in order to deliver more energy to the system. These agreements are in place to alleviate the strain that peak demand puts on the grid. "

https://finbold.com/texas-bitcoin-miners-are-being-paid-to-shut-down-and-return-energy-to-the-grid/

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20,344]

Article from February:  Abbott and Ted Cruz want bitcoin operators in Texas, but experts fear it might strain the grid.

https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/gov-greg-abbott-sen-ted-cruz-want-cryptocurrency-businesses-in-texas-but-experts-fear-it-could-strain-the-power-grid-13383386

[troph 24,563]

I mean I’d actually be ok with moderate republicans and democrats having honest debates about it too, the Iraqi defense minister style of leadership it’s just insane. 

[Captainant 27,465]

8 minutes ago, Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand said:

I'm assuming they get paid in dollars.

"Grid operator the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) brokers “demand response” agreements that pay companies, including some Bitcoin miners, to decrease operations at periods of peak demand in order to deliver more energy to the system. These agreements are in place to alleviate the strain that peak demand puts on the grid. "

https://finbold.com/texas-bitcoin-miners-are-being-paid-to-shut-down-and-return-energy-to-the-grid/

and rather than put that money into the grid to improve its capacity - we're paying it to the private, for-profit server farms that are wasting 99.9999% of the work they do by design. Fucking galaxy-brain strats

[TexArcher 37,519]

"We didn't prepare the grid for this because it just doesn't get cold like this in Texas."

-- Greg Abbott, Feb. 2021

"We didn't prepare the grid for this because it just doesn't get hot like this in Texas."

-- Greg Abbott, July 2022

"Bitcoin miners, come line my pockets, because fuck the environment."

-- Greg Abbott, Feb. 2022

"Fuck Texans.  Who gives a shit?  Fuck y'all.  I'm rich, beeeyotch."

-- Greg Abbott, all the time.

[The Royal We 3,065]

1 minute ago, Captainant said:

and rather than put that money into the grid to improve its capacity - we're paying it to the private, for-profit server farms that are wasting 99.9999% of the work they do by design. Fucking galaxy-brain strats

Straight up corporate welfare at the expensive of Texans.  You want to come profit off of our cheap electricity, great, but you assume the same risks as ordinary Texans trying to not melt or freeze in their own homes.

[Js1 85,110]

Just now, The Royal We said:

Straight up corporate welfare at the expensive of Texans.  You want to come profit off of our cheap electricity, great, but you assume the same risks as ordinary Texans trying to not melt or freeze in their own homes.

Corporations are people. Citizens are not 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,414]

The key point is that product being sold by the Texas electricity system is not electricity. The product being sold is us, the Texas consumers. Texas politicians are selling us to the Texas electricity generation industry. 

The Texas govt should be finding methods to increase capacity either through incentives or penalties. Stick or carrot. I don't care if it's both. The solution also shouldn't just be clean energy but rather a combination of carbon and green.

[Guest]

I'm conflicted. If the shoe was on the other foot and say, Governor O'Rourke was asking for Texans to conserve, you know damn well many people would absolutely crank the A/C up.

I don't want this shit to fail, people die, and know I didn't do my part.

I'm sure as hell not going to crank the A/C to 68 degrees and then make a social media video wearing Oakleys. 

Edited July 12, 2022 by FirstTimeCaller

[The Royal We 3,065]

3 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

I'm conflicted. If the shoe was on the other foot and say, Governor O'Rourke was asking for Texans to conserve, you know damn well many people would absolutely crank the A/C up.

The maga terrorists would be sabotaging sub stations all over Texas just to own the lib in the Gov's mansion. 

[Biff Tannen 45,499]

1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I'm sure Abbott spoke to the generating companies about protecting their equipment during freezes to ensure that they can keep the lights on.

IIRC, he gave them the option of paying a couple hundred dollar fine instead of winterizing.

[pacman 7,330]

Good twitter thread

 

 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,145]

30 minutes ago, Captainant said:

and rather than put that money into the grid to improve its capacity - we're paying it to the private, for-profit server farms that are wasting 99.9999% of the work they do by design. Fucking galaxy-brain strats

Can call it paying if you want but really we're just giving them back some of the money they already paid (as a credit).  I know people like to bash the crypto club here, but for renewable energy implementation they are one of the largest drivers right now.  Currently when wind in blowing and going at night and there is all kinds of excess generation crypto is gobbling it up and in turn making wind generation investment and ROI that much faster and better.  Crypto groups themselves are investing hundreds of millions into renewable generation in Texas alone.

[Captainant 27,465]

7 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Can call it paying if you want but really we're just giving them back some of the money they already paid (as a credit).  I know people like to bash the crypto club here, but for renewable energy implementation they are one of the largest drivers right now.  Currently when wind in blowing and going at night and there is all kinds of excess generation crypto is gobbling it up and in turn making wind generation investment and ROI that much faster and better.  Crypto groups themselves are investing hundreds of millions into renewable generation in Texas alone.

According to who? Fucking zerohedge? They aren't turning their rigs off during the day - they're still burning that electricity during the day, and are getting subsidized when they turn off due to market conditions - rather than just suffering the higher costs like every other consumer of the electrical grid. Getting refunded is different from retaining a credit. 

 

I'd love to see your work and sources for the "hundreds of millions" of investment in TX renewables. Because if they have actually made those contributions to the grid (which I doubt is honest or accurate) we sure as shit haven't seen any real benefit for spreading our cheeks for the cryptobros

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13,546]

17 minutes ago, pacman said:

Good twitter thread

 

 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/14/us/texas-energy-record-solar-wind-climate/index.html

[Nivek 16,861]

Civil disobedience isn't really nonviolent when you're hoping to break the power grid. That shit has real consequences. My grandma's house had it's AC compressor go out a couple days ago and her 60's era home was in the low 90s by noon. 
I agree that ain't nothin gonna change without real consequences, but it's certainly a fraught proposition to contribute to what could be a traumatic and deadly event. 

...

Or maybe I'm just some pussy bleeding heart libtard, idk. 

I will conserve AFTER they get industry to conserve first.

[Dutchrudder 11,115]

So is there any confirmation that all those bitcoin miners are actually shutting down during peak energy days, or was that commitment total bullshit?

[CooterBrown 17,913]

So is there any confirmation that all those bitcoin miners are actually shutting down during peak energy days, or was that commitment total bullshit?

[C-Man 27,058]

42 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

IIRC, he gave them the option of paying a couple hundred dollar fine instead of winterizing.

This is exactly what happened IIRC. 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,414]

For crypto miners, time is money. They're only shutting down when the return is negative, have legal requirements to shut down or if they do not have electricity. I suppose exceptions could be if the owner wants to demonstrate goodwill but that is against his financial interests.

[The Royal We 3,065]

1 minute ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

if the owner wants to demonstrate goodwill

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,145]

12 minutes ago, Captainant said:

According to who? Fucking zerohedge? They aren't turning their rigs off during the day - they're still burning that electricity during the day, and are getting subsidized when they turn off due to market conditions - rather than just suffering the higher costs like every other consumer of the electrical grid. Getting refunded is different from retaining a credit. 

 

I'd love to see your work and sources for the "hundreds of millions" of investment in TX renewables. Because if they have actually made those contributions to the grid (which I doubt is honest or accurate) we sure as shit haven't seen any real benefit for spreading our cheeks for the cryptobros

Is there a related Zerohedge article you would like to debunk? You see fixated on them.

So you are mad they use electricity during the day like other companies? Or you just feel like it's more of a waste?

They are absolutely turning their rigs off when called upon. Currently all shut down during recent peak hours. They can be turned on and off in only a couple minutes and under agreement with ERCOT do just that.  Are some of the firms getting paid to do that - Yes. Are many, many other non mining companies getting "paid" to do the same thing and have been for decades? -- Yes.

 

As to investments, they are largely in West Texas where there is curently an enourmous excess wind generation capactity and not enough transmission capacity to move it. Why would anyone consider adding new wind turbines in west texas currently if they cannot get that power to market - they wouldn't. But if someone will buy it now while transmission is being added then it's a win-win.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/08/tesla-block-blockstream-to-mine-bitcoin-off-solar-power-in-texas.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/23/lancium-raises-150-million-for-renewable-run-bitcoin-mines-in-texas.html
https://www.newswest9.com/article/money/stranded-energy-cryptocurrency-bitcoin-west-texas/513-c434d8ef-b80c-48ee-a8bf-0d9afd4c9436

 

As to the question of "are they shutting down"... well if ERCOT says according to agreement we need you to shutdown or we'll be charging you a really, really high peak rate... miners are economically driven and shutting down is the best return.  To be clear they aren't doing anything that is not in their economic best interests. 

[C-Man 27,058]

[Captainant 27,465]

9 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Is there a related Zerohedge article you would like to debunk? You see fixated on them.

So you are mad they use electricity during the day like other companies? Or you just feel like it's more of a waste?

They are absolutely turning their rigs off when called upon. Currently all shut down during recent peak hours. They can be turned on and off in only a couple minutes and under agreement with ERCOT do just that.  Are some of the firms getting paid to do that - Yes. Are many, many other non mining companies getting "paid" to do the same thing and have been for decades? -- Yes.

 

As to investments, they are largely in West Texas where there is curently an enourmous excess wind generation capactity and not enough transmission capacity to move it. Why would anyone consider adding new wind turbines in west texas currently if they cannot get that power to market - they wouldn't. But if someone will buy it now while transmission is being added then it's a win-win.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/08/tesla-block-blockstream-to-mine-bitcoin-off-solar-power-in-texas.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/23/lancium-raises-150-million-for-renewable-run-bitcoin-mines-in-texas.html
https://www.newswest9.com/article/money/stranded-energy-cryptocurrency-bitcoin-west-texas/513-c434d8ef-b80c-48ee-a8bf-0d9afd4c9436

 

As to the question of "are they shutting down"... well if ERCOT says according to agreement we need you to shutdown or we'll be charging you a really, really high peak rate... miners are economically driven and shutting down is the best return.  To be clear they aren't doing anything that is not in their economic best interests. 

Lol I'm mainly using ZH as a shorthand for this sort of already debunked GRUhorn/Workswithseed/cryptosucker swill. All those articles are from February before the crypto bubble popped, and are written by the companies making the investments. No shit it's all sunshine and roses according to those articles. Much like every GROUNDBREAKING(!!!!!) web3 project, it's all fucking promises without any actual execution.

Furthermore, the agreement literally is designed to guarantee profit for these private entities. If they shut down, ERCOT agrees to pay the miners more than they would have made mining during the downtime. The state of TX is using our public utilities to gift profit to these private companies.

You should be mad about this, not shilling for your ponzi scheme that you're an early investor on.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Captainant

[TexasEd 8,064]

2 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

This is the new normal if we allow it. Their process will be to run the electric supply as close to the demand as possible. This will lead to periodic blackouts and higher prices.

If you want to show your dissatisfaction at either Abbott or ERCOT, then don't conserve power today. Do the opposite during peak hours: lower your home temp, run appliances, charge up your electric car.  And more importantly, tell others to do the same.

Go about your day as a freedom-loving American and don't heed the call to sit in a hot house.

 

So your basic argument is the same as telling people not to wear masks during a pandemic because the government can't tell us to do things that are in the best interest of society as a whole.

I can see the irony here.  So this is supposed to be funny, right? 

[Hookah Horns 3,082]

1 hour ago, TexArcher said:

"We didn't prepare the grid for this because it just doesn't get cold like this in Texas."

-- Greg Abbott, Feb. 2021

"We didn't prepare the grid for this because it just doesn't get hot like this in Texas."

-- Greg Abbott, July 2022

"Bitcoin miners, come line my pockets, because fuck the environment."

-- Greg Abbott, Feb. 2022

"Fuck Texans.  Who gives a shit?  Fuck y'all.  I'm rich, beeeyotch."

-- Greg Abbott, all the time.

"Thanks for reelecting me Governor of Texas."

-- Hot Wheels, Nov. 2022

[Hookah Horns 3,082]

5 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Lol I'm mainly using ZH as a shorthand for this sort of already debunked GRUhorn/Workswithseed/cryptosucker swill. All those articles are from February before the crypto bubble popped, and are written by the companies making the investments. No shit it's all sunshine and roses according to those articles. Much like every GROUNDBREAKING(!!!!!) web3 project, it's all fucking promises without any actual execution.

Furthermore, the agreement literally is designed to guarantee profit for these private entities. If they shut down, ERCOT agrees to pay the miners more than they would have made mining during the downtime. The state of TX is using our public utilities to gift profit to these private companies.

You should be mad about this, not shilling for your ponzi scheme that you're an early investor on.

That's fucking amazing. 

I'm not even sure what the appeal of bitcoin mining is to Abbott and Cruz other than it being bad for the environment. And of course I'm sure they're getting kickbacks.

[Captainant 27,465]

1 minute ago, Hookah Horns said:

I'm not even sure what the appeal of bitcoin mining is to Abbott and Cruz other than it being bad for the environment. And of course I'm sure they're getting kickbacks constitutionally protected secret political donations.

ftfy

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,414]

18 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Is there a related Zerohedge article you would like to debunk? You see fixated on them.

So you are mad they use electricity during the day like other companies? Or you just feel like it's more of a waste?

They are absolutely turning their rigs off when called upon. Currently all shut down during recent peak hours. They can be turned on and off in only a couple minutes and under agreement with ERCOT do just that.  Are some of the firms getting paid to do that - Yes. Are many, many other non mining companies getting "paid" to do the same thing and have been for decades? -- Yes.

 

As to investments, they are largely in West Texas where there is curently an enourmous excess wind generation capactity and not enough transmission capacity to move it. Why would anyone consider adding new wind turbines in west texas currently if they cannot get that power to market - they wouldn't. But if someone will buy it now while transmission is being added then it's a win-win.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/08/tesla-block-blockstream-to-mine-bitcoin-off-solar-power-in-texas.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/23/lancium-raises-150-million-for-renewable-run-bitcoin-mines-in-texas.html
https://www.newswest9.com/article/money/stranded-energy-cryptocurrency-bitcoin-west-texas/513-c434d8ef-b80c-48ee-a8bf-0d9afd4c9436

 

As to the question of "are they shutting down"... well if ERCOT says according to agreement we need you to shutdown or we'll be charging you a really, really high peak rate... miners are economically driven and shutting down is the best return.  To be clear they aren't doing anything that is not in their economic best interests. 

Are crypto miners being paid to shut down their rigs, or do they have some revenue/income guarantee from ERCOT?

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,145]

7 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Are crypto miners being paid to shut down their rigs, or do they have some revenue/income guarantee from ERCOT?

I'm assuming they are being paid via ERCOT ERS (Emergency Response System) like Walmart, Home Depot, and other load companies are. It's public info as to amounts, don't think company info listed though: https://www.ercot.com/services/programs/load/eils

It won't be a revenue/income guarantee as no way that would even make sense.

If miners kept online during peak periods they would lose money... so paying them anything would of course "make them more money then they would have otherwise".

Edited July 12, 2022 by MonkeyDoughnut

[atomheartbevo 89,449]

2 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Abbott should be talking about policies that require more generation capacity or penalties for those not actively reinvesting their profits in Texas.

Abbott takes too much money to do these things.  Part of the reason why campaign donations in Texas suck.  

And we are talking about basically a state sanctioned monopoly of sorts. The companies don’t have to really do much because there isn’t a free market to counter them, and again, it’s cheaper for them to buy off politicians legally than to upgrade for future capacity or concerns.  

Hell, Abbott probably  didn’t come up with the bitcoin thing on his own - power companies probably put that bug in his ear.  

[atomheartbevo 89,449]

2 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

work from home and I'm using my electricity as I normally would. 

And the irony is that our appliances and lighting are so much more efficient than what our parents were using.  It’s good, but at the same time, it saves the power companies from having to upgrade.  

[Nice Guy Eddie 13,414]

4 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

I'm assuming they are being paid via ERCOT ERS (Emergency Response System) like Walmart, Home Depot, and other load companies are. It's public info as to amounts, don't think company info listed though: https://www.ercot.com/services/programs/load/eils

It won't be a revenue/income guarantee as no way that would even make sense.

If miners kept online during peak periods they would lose money... so paying them anything would of couse "make them more money then they would have otherwise".

I thought the ERS paid companies that have generating capacity to fire up their generators to help lessen the load. Or are you saying that the ERS also pays companies to turn off their electricity usage?

[Captainant 27,465]

6 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Are crypto miners being paid to shut down their rigs, or do they have some revenue/income guarantee from ERCOT?

From what early reporting there is - it does appear that miners shut off about 1 gigawatt of servers yesterday (according to bloomberg, open in incognito to avoid paywall), but the article also does note that all those miners are struggling to pay debt and raise capital due to the fall in BTC price.

Also notable, cryptomining is currently consuming around 1 gigawatt - they're projected to consuming SIX gigawatts by mid 2023. That's the electrical load of every house in Houston. All being specially subsidized and protected against risk for the sake of private companies to waste quadrillions of computations per second.

 

Frankly, I'm a little frustrated and concerned by the lack of transparency for the deals these private companies are getting from our public utilities. It's not clear from the reporting what they're actually required to do, and what sort of compensation they receive. Because we're ultimately paying their capital expenses for their hardware when we pay them to turn off. We shouldn't have to assume their risk in buying that hardware.

[atomheartbevo 89,449]

2 hours ago, SubliminalHorn said:

I get what you’re saying. But I would rather not have the grid completely fail and then it takes weeks to months to fix

It’s going to fail.  It’s a matter of when, not if.  We ran into this after 2011 when the companies were told by the legislature to get their shit together and they didn’t.  

The State of Texas/Abbott are actively encouraging companies, individuals, bitcoin operations, etc. to move to Texas knowing that the current grid can’t handle things.  
 

edit: and water is going to be an issue at some point.  

Edited July 12, 2022 by atomheartbevo

[wildcat09 29,258]

25 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Lol I'm mainly using ZH as a shorthand for this sort of already debunked GRUhorn/Workswithseed/cryptosucker swill. All those articles are from February before the crypto bubble popped, and are written by the companies making the investments. No shit it's all sunshine and roses according to those articles. Much like every GROUNDBREAKING(!!!!!) web3 project, it's all fucking promises without any actual execution.

Furthermore, the agreement literally is designed to guarantee profit for these private entities. If they shut down, ERCOT agrees to pay the miners more than they would have made mining during the downtime. The state of TX is using our public utilities to gift profit to these private companies.

You should be mad about this, not shilling for your ponzi scheme that you're an early investor on.

I'm pretty sure the miners aren't buying their electricity directly from ERCOT at variable rates.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,145]

18 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Lol I'm mainly using ZH as a shorthand for this sort of already debunked GRUhorn/Workswithseed/cryptosucker swill. All those articles are from February before the crypto bubble popped, and are written by the companies making the investments. No shit it's all sunshine and roses according to those articles. Much like every GROUNDBREAKING(!!!!!) web3 project, it's all fucking promises without any actual execution.

Furthermore, the agreement literally is designed to guarantee profit for these private entities. If they shut down, ERCOT agrees to pay the miners more than they would have made mining during the downtime. The state of TX is using our public utilities to gift profit to these private companies.

You should be mad about this, not shilling for your ponzi scheme that you're an early investor on.

I can agree on a lot of "issue" with bitcoin/mining in general, but I do think right now and for next 10 years or so they ARE a net positive for the Texas grid.  Large companies are looking to be more green - like Walmart types and they are getting companies to build large solar/wind facilities in Texas.  By allowing mining companies to "attach" to these operatings they can quickly get a much better ROI on the investments and do more bigger/faster.

For example Walmart wants to build a mega solar field for powering stores. They can now offer any solar/wind over generation during the day and large excess wind amounts during the night to anyone who wants to pay for it at a cheap price but still is free money for Walmart.  Bitcoin mining does not require 24/7 operation. It's a complete numbers game of time running, amount of units working and mainly electricity costs - 90-95% of mining expense is electricity cost.  It electricity price is too high they will stop within seconds and not run period.

And for grid stability, over generation is just as big a problem as under generation and having larger and larger loads that can be quickly offlined is a huge benfit much the same as being able to quickly take wind/solar generation off on the generation side.