Part of that cost is decommissioning and removing the existing tower-based system. But PG&E made the call years ago to use that fire-prone implementation to boost profits, and now we are paying for that short-sighted decision.
lacker•2h ago
Batteries are also a pretty good solution. It's possible that eventually there is enough battery storage on the grid that we can shut down the highest-risk transmission lines for longer periods of time without having power outages.
The nice thing about batteries is that they get cheaper and cheaper over time, as opposed to generic construction in California, which seems to get more and more expensive over time.
bix6•1h ago
I saw in the original article that they’ve given batteries to a number of folks. I was curious if each local town could install more solar or geothermal.
BrenBarn•47m ago
It's a complex issue, but the dumb part is letting the for-profit utilities decide to not provide the power people signed up for because those same utilities can't keep their own equipment from starting fires.
bix6•4h ago
qmarchi•3h ago
It's not impossible to do things, but people (in the US) are extremely resistant to any kind of perceived change or self sacrifice.
It's a common story for any kind of infrastructure project in the US.
bix6•2h ago
nxm•2h ago
bix6•1h ago
It’s expensive in Tucson as well so…
nonfamous•2h ago
lacker•2h ago
Casey Handmer has some interesting writing for people who are curious about this direction: https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2023/07/12/grid-storage-b...
The nice thing about batteries is that they get cheaper and cheaper over time, as opposed to generic construction in California, which seems to get more and more expensive over time.
bix6•1h ago