Energy costs/rates

I’m posting this here because I’m certainly no expert, but I have a question. If a country’s economy is built around a specific energy source—usually oil or natural gas—could that same stability be achieved through electricity, by generating a surplus and selling it?
Since there is so much potential for renewables in a place like California, could we eventually use that to jumpstart the entire economy? Most of the West Coast has ideal conditions for wind farms, we have plenty of hydroelectric power, and the sunshine is practically endless.
Could a government actually pull this off, and would it even make sense financially?

crimsonharbor313 said:I’m posting this here because I’m certainly no expert, but I have a question. If a country’s economy is built around a specific energy source—usually oil or natural gas—could that same stability be achieved through electricity, by generating a surplus and selling it?
Since there is so much potential for renewables in a place like California, could we eventually use that to jumpstart the entire economy? Most of the West Coast has ideal conditions for wind farms, we have plenty of hydroelectric power, and the sunshine is practically endless.
Could a government actually pull this off, and would it even make sense financially?

No. Think of electricity like growing grain; any idiot can do it. When you need it, the West sells it to you at a premium, but when you're trying to sell your surplus back to them, they buy it for pennies.
Italy imports a huge chunk of its power from France and transitively through Austria, Canada, and the US. At night, they're paying anywhere from 0 to 10 dollars per MWh. In Germany lately, wholesale prices from wind turbines have been sitting between 5 and 20 dollars per MWh, yet they sell it to citizens at over 200 dollars per MWh. At night, the wholesale price hits zero.
As for oil and gas, most of that is sold by the Arab nations and Russia. They are the first people with the deepest trading traditions and culture in the world, and everyone else is just playing catch-up. Don't fall for those tired stereotypes about primitive or backward Arabs. They were master merchants controlling the Silk Road and the spice trade long before they ever embraced Islam. While Europe was stuck in the Dark Ages, they were running thousands of massive colleges and universities covering every branch of science imaginable.

Can you tell me if the amount of electricity America imports is relatively low or high?
I'm wondering if there's a specific type of "green" energy we could produce that would actually be cost-effective for us.

crimsonharbor313 said:Can you tell me if the amount of electricity America imports is relatively low or high?
I'm wondering if there's a specific type of "green" energy we could produce that would actually be cost-effective for us.

During rainy years, when the nuclear plants are running normally, it's just a small percentage. But during a drought, that figure can climb up to 45%.
Any kind of renewable energy pays off when you're looking at personal use. It's basically just being self-sufficient.
Take me, for example. I spend about 60 days a year out on my boat, and I haven't burned a single drop of diesel in three years. That's with the engine practically running every day cruising from Maine up to Florida and back. Plus, the fridge stays running 24/7.

crimsonharbor313 said:I’m posting this here because I’m certainly no expert, but I have a question. If a country’s economy is built around a specific energy source—usually oil or natural gas—could that same stability be achieved through electricity, by generating a surplus and selling it?
Since there is so much potential for renewables in a place like California, could we eventually use that to jumpstart the entire economy? Most of the West Coast has ideal conditions for wind farms, we have plenty of hydroelectric power, and the sunshine is practically endless.
Could a government actually pull this off, and would it even make sense financially?

If you want to see the gold standard for how energy production and consumption should work, check this out: www.rmi.org
It takes some digging, but it's worth the effort. They have videos and PDFs that lay everything out. They cover every single energy source and sector—everything from transportation and heating to heavy industry—looking at it from both a technical and an economic standpoint. One thing they nail is the concept of energy efficiency; they argue it's actually more profitable to use less energy than it is to just build more capacity. Think about LED bulbs—it's a simple example. You swap them out, the savings hit your wallet immediately, and the ROI is way faster than building a brand-new manufacturing plant.