I love how China's massive efforts, which Bill has been talking about, is now finally being reported on mainstream news!
Finally!
China is so proud of their efforts it is now part of their tourism although with climate change it is better to be a couch internet tourist, than to travel, since we simply can't put more in the atmosphere at all.
Great to see that a Democrat won a primary while emphasizing climate as an issue. The Democrats have been accused of not wanting to talk about climate for political purposes which is referred to as "climate hushing." Emissions certainly aren't going to be reduced enough to halt global warming if politicians are afraid to talk about the subject. We need far more talk about climate from them not less.
A lot of people simply don't know how good renewable energy has gotten, and how fast. Even fewer people have realized that's it going to get a lot better, because of learning-by-doing. Basically, the engineering jobs used to be in fossil fuels and now they're going to be in renewables, which will make them even better. A lot of people still have a hazy idea that renewables are unreliable and expensive. The more we spread the word, the faster this will change. Say something about this on social media, in your own words!
Like most, I have no expertise in this field, so my question is, how would you respond to the many Substacks on this topic from Scott Grout and others?
It is really cool what is written here about them also reducing indoor temps when on roofs as is mentioned here. This is another plus in the world we will be facing. Good grief, those poor folks in France this week! It reminds me of when I lived in Phoenix, but Phoenix was built around the reality of heat and in order to not get mid-summer cabin fever since it would also often be over 90 and even humid from July-Oct in Monsoon season, one needed a pool or to go mall walking like I guess people do in Minnesota, etc. in winter. However, the desert there is very beautiful, but when I left even cacti were having a hard time in summer due to climate change and in AZ their mountain forests are dying off as well. People need to get real, the crisis is now.
Hi Bill, unfortunately , the Australian news of 3 free hours of electricity is not quite what it seems. As I understand it (and paying Ozzie electricity myself) this 3 free hour deal will only apply to certain tariff offers by retailers and you can expect that the “ free energy” will be paid for elsewhere in higher time of use tariff rates and or daily usage charges. It may well be the case ,depending on usage, that folks would pay less not opting for the 3 so called “free hours” deal.
Also everyone is howling here right now as energy tariffs are all seemingly going up from 1st July yet the Energy Regulator AER has said wholesale prices should drop 10% due to surge in battery deployment but that is not what is happening in the retail market , quite the opposite). As ever the retailers are gaming the market by jacking up rates on mandatory default offers and then using that as a reference to charge higher tariffs on other plans. The Energy Minister Chris Bowen has written to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate whether retailers are complying with the law. Duh? This system has been gamed for some time and nothing has been done about it. To make matters possibly worse , at least for those who have invested in solar and batteries the AER has proposed a new model for charging for electricity that they say will save over $6.5 billion but this is likely not to flow to consumers at all but rather to energy providers who will not have to invest in more capacity ( largely due to battery take up). The new model which has not been approved will see usage charges decline but standing charges increase quite dramatically. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see what this is all about, propping up the energy industry to compensate for people switching to home solar and batteries.
Harry — the wilderness man in my novel Empty Earth — spent his whole life making exactly this argument: that the right choice and the economically rational choice were always the same choice. People just needed the conditions to align.
Australia just aligned the conditions. Three free hours of electricity a day is not a policy argument. It's a fact on the ground that makes the old argument obsolete.
Harry never lived to see it. But this is what he was waiting for.
California needs to be next with a rate plan with at least 1 free hour!
Even if they limited the number of free kWh, in a trial phase at first, if people used midday to charge an EV (employers could let you charge up for free while at work and/or restaurants wanting to drum up business could let people charge while dining out for lunch) or people could charge a home battery to be used later during peak use hours or have a battery waiting for you to charge a car when you get home, it would likely help to get us much closer to suppling the shift in energy they have been looking for by changing consumer behavior in this way. The current rate plans that are supposed to provide an incentive are only a few pennies, and seem to do little to nothing although I follow them simply to do my part, Free energy hours would light a fire under bill conscious consumers and businesses to help them change the way they do things.
As I keep saying, if they had such a plan, I would buy another power station battery to use during peak use 4-9 pm and/or overnight, as well.
This would also allow even apartment dwellers who do not have a balcony to charge up a battery to save money when their is a lot of solar power and to do their part.
Yes, nothing gets ones attention like the word FREE!
You rightly point out that some of the work must be done by governments. Upgrading the power grid, for example, to better accommodate renewable energy, is a large, complex task. But to accomplish this, we have to come to terms with the main obstacle - greed. There's a reason the US is alone among developed countries in offering only profit-driven health care. There's a reason we've allowed housing to become unaffordable for almost everyone, or why we have more billionaires amidst more poverty than anywhere else on the planet. It's an axiom of US policy that every program must be designed with profits for corporations built in. As long as this is the case, realizing the full potential of renewable energy in the US will be elusive.
Actually that's not true in Australia the battery storage is mainly in households, every house has solar and battery storage which is connected to the grid. So they don't need massive infrastructure!
In my state, Ohio, the legislature, dominated by Republicans, has insisted that newly built structures be powered largely with fossil fuels. Lobbyists from the old industry speak loudly.
Regardless of how cheap or expensive it is to implement renewable energy for the grid it is quite expensive to take advantage of it for average citizens in the U.S. To reduce emissions rapidly which is what is required to avoid the worst catastrophic consequences of climate change drivers need to purchase electric vehicles and owners of homes and apartments need to purchase electric air pumps. These are very costly purchases. In the long run of several years they might actually save money but the initial cost for many people is a big obstacle. Transportation in the U.S. is the sector responsible for the most emissions and building energy which mainly involves heating and cooling is also responsible for a large part of emissions. Having a renewable energy grid doesn't help reduce emissions that much compared to what is needed if most citizens don't make the transition from fossil fuels for transportation and heating to electric soon. Taking full advantage of a renewable energy grid is key.
Yes, but the payback is MUCH better outside the US.
In the Philippines, electricity prices are up so the solar payback is 2 to 4 years. So they bought a lot of it in March and April, more than Pakistan even.
In addition to Australia’s free electricity during peak solar hours, this press release from the UK government discusses discounted power on windy days in areas where wind farms are paid to switch off to avoid ‘wasted wind’.
“At the moment, wind farms are often paid to switch off on windy days, because the system can’t use all the power being generated, due to historic underinvestment in the grid required to match this supply with demand across the country.
“To tackle these so-called ‘constraint payments’, we are launching a new, innovative trial, which would mean that using the generated power would become a more cost-effective option compared to turning turbines off.”
Why not everywhere we have surplus renewable power?
And fight the deniers’ argument that renewables are expensive. No, they’re cheap!
Talking of free electricity in Australia....what I find interesting, often, in discussion on energy, specifically residential electricity, is the absolute refusal of some to accept what is demonstrably evident. I have home solar (installed with government subsidies - although even without those subsidies it is now about half the price I paid 13 years ago with subsidies) and a home battery, installed without subsidies in 2017 (although you can now get a government subsidy).
I live in a house with 3 adults (all in separate units but sharing one supply), an EV, 3 reverse cycle air-conditioners, 3 fridges, 3 washing machines & two dishwashers, 3 induction hotplates etc. Last year I received a REFUND of $700 from my electricity retailer for my feed in tariff, ie my total sales to the grid earned me $700 more than I paid.
Admittedly we live in climate that requires neither too much heating nor cooling but I know people in hotter and cooler climates who have achieved similar or better outcomes.
But when you tell people this and even show them the electricity bills they are so far down the rabbit hole of anti-renewables propaganda and anti-government conspiracy theories that they are convinced that it is some sort of trick.
Accepting that in Australia it's exceptionally cheap to install solar and batteries (we don't have the horrifically expensive installation approval process of the USA, for example) and there are Government subsidies the benefits of residential solar and storage are self-evident.
Bill. Rather than being something to celebrate, isn’t this just a result of integrating solar into a very coal heavy system, where the ‘must-run’ base generation is so high that when peak solar output is added there is an excess of power on the system compared to load? You see this impact and resulting negative pricing all over the world where the base generation level exceeds load (often at night with wind). The solar energy is great, but rather than an altruistic celebration of the ‘free’ renewable revolution, it would be better to focus on shifting from coal to even gas that can be ramped up and down better to reflect the solar duck curve issues. Or reinvest in storage at a grid level to shift the peak solar generation to match the load, effectively removing the need for as many coal plants. Free electricity is just a populist political move. Interested to hear your thoughts,
Spectacular as usual, Bill!
Always thorough, endlessly grateful for your tremendous work and attention.
Save your posts in tabs to read through at a slower pace, not to marathon through them
Valuable and indeed crucial
Thanks Bill !
I love how China's massive efforts, which Bill has been talking about, is now finally being reported on mainstream news!
Finally!
China is so proud of their efforts it is now part of their tourism although with climate change it is better to be a couch internet tourist, than to travel, since we simply can't put more in the atmosphere at all.
China's progress knocks one's socks off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYnyAamblSo&t=71s
Great to see that a Democrat won a primary while emphasizing climate as an issue. The Democrats have been accused of not wanting to talk about climate for political purposes which is referred to as "climate hushing." Emissions certainly aren't going to be reduced enough to halt global warming if politicians are afraid to talk about the subject. We need far more talk about climate from them not less.
Now we just need to get the word out!
A lot of people simply don't know how good renewable energy has gotten, and how fast. Even fewer people have realized that's it going to get a lot better, because of learning-by-doing. Basically, the engineering jobs used to be in fossil fuels and now they're going to be in renewables, which will make them even better. A lot of people still have a hazy idea that renewables are unreliable and expensive. The more we spread the word, the faster this will change. Say something about this on social media, in your own words!
Like most, I have no expertise in this field, so my question is, how would you respond to the many Substacks on this topic from Scott Grout and others?
Another essential post, Bill. Thank you.
Warehouses and barns - there are so many surfaces for solar panels!
It is really cool what is written here about them also reducing indoor temps when on roofs as is mentioned here. This is another plus in the world we will be facing. Good grief, those poor folks in France this week! It reminds me of when I lived in Phoenix, but Phoenix was built around the reality of heat and in order to not get mid-summer cabin fever since it would also often be over 90 and even humid from July-Oct in Monsoon season, one needed a pool or to go mall walking like I guess people do in Minnesota, etc. in winter. However, the desert there is very beautiful, but when I left even cacti were having a hard time in summer due to climate change and in AZ their mountain forests are dying off as well. People need to get real, the crisis is now.
It is indeed.
Hi Bill, unfortunately , the Australian news of 3 free hours of electricity is not quite what it seems. As I understand it (and paying Ozzie electricity myself) this 3 free hour deal will only apply to certain tariff offers by retailers and you can expect that the “ free energy” will be paid for elsewhere in higher time of use tariff rates and or daily usage charges. It may well be the case ,depending on usage, that folks would pay less not opting for the 3 so called “free hours” deal.
Also everyone is howling here right now as energy tariffs are all seemingly going up from 1st July yet the Energy Regulator AER has said wholesale prices should drop 10% due to surge in battery deployment but that is not what is happening in the retail market , quite the opposite). As ever the retailers are gaming the market by jacking up rates on mandatory default offers and then using that as a reference to charge higher tariffs on other plans. The Energy Minister Chris Bowen has written to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate whether retailers are complying with the law. Duh? This system has been gamed for some time and nothing has been done about it. To make matters possibly worse , at least for those who have invested in solar and batteries the AER has proposed a new model for charging for electricity that they say will save over $6.5 billion but this is likely not to flow to consumers at all but rather to energy providers who will not have to invest in more capacity ( largely due to battery take up). The new model which has not been approved will see usage charges decline but standing charges increase quite dramatically. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see what this is all about, propping up the energy industry to compensate for people switching to home solar and batteries.
Harry — the wilderness man in my novel Empty Earth — spent his whole life making exactly this argument: that the right choice and the economically rational choice were always the same choice. People just needed the conditions to align.
Australia just aligned the conditions. Three free hours of electricity a day is not a policy argument. It's a fact on the ground that makes the old argument obsolete.
Harry never lived to see it. But this is what he was waiting for.
Wow, Bill. Just, WOW. You are a fountain of information and a prolific writer. I love your stuff, and your infectious positivity. Keep it up!
Yes FREE!
California needs to be next with a rate plan with at least 1 free hour!
Even if they limited the number of free kWh, in a trial phase at first, if people used midday to charge an EV (employers could let you charge up for free while at work and/or restaurants wanting to drum up business could let people charge while dining out for lunch) or people could charge a home battery to be used later during peak use hours or have a battery waiting for you to charge a car when you get home, it would likely help to get us much closer to suppling the shift in energy they have been looking for by changing consumer behavior in this way. The current rate plans that are supposed to provide an incentive are only a few pennies, and seem to do little to nothing although I follow them simply to do my part, Free energy hours would light a fire under bill conscious consumers and businesses to help them change the way they do things.
As I keep saying, if they had such a plan, I would buy another power station battery to use during peak use 4-9 pm and/or overnight, as well.
This would also allow even apartment dwellers who do not have a balcony to charge up a battery to save money when their is a lot of solar power and to do their part.
Yes, nothing gets ones attention like the word FREE!
Great article now all we need is for our politicians to get onboard!
You rightly point out that some of the work must be done by governments. Upgrading the power grid, for example, to better accommodate renewable energy, is a large, complex task. But to accomplish this, we have to come to terms with the main obstacle - greed. There's a reason the US is alone among developed countries in offering only profit-driven health care. There's a reason we've allowed housing to become unaffordable for almost everyone, or why we have more billionaires amidst more poverty than anywhere else on the planet. It's an axiom of US policy that every program must be designed with profits for corporations built in. As long as this is the case, realizing the full potential of renewable energy in the US will be elusive.
Actually that's not true in Australia the battery storage is mainly in households, every house has solar and battery storage which is connected to the grid. So they don't need massive infrastructure!
In my state, Ohio, the legislature, dominated by Republicans, has insisted that newly built structures be powered largely with fossil fuels. Lobbyists from the old industry speak loudly.
I would have put bananas as the first item of those easy peelers.
Regardless of how cheap or expensive it is to implement renewable energy for the grid it is quite expensive to take advantage of it for average citizens in the U.S. To reduce emissions rapidly which is what is required to avoid the worst catastrophic consequences of climate change drivers need to purchase electric vehicles and owners of homes and apartments need to purchase electric air pumps. These are very costly purchases. In the long run of several years they might actually save money but the initial cost for many people is a big obstacle. Transportation in the U.S. is the sector responsible for the most emissions and building energy which mainly involves heating and cooling is also responsible for a large part of emissions. Having a renewable energy grid doesn't help reduce emissions that much compared to what is needed if most citizens don't make the transition from fossil fuels for transportation and heating to electric soon. Taking full advantage of a renewable energy grid is key.
Yes, but the payback is MUCH better outside the US.
In the Philippines, electricity prices are up so the solar payback is 2 to 4 years. So they bought a lot of it in March and April, more than Pakistan even.
https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/05/How-the-Philippines-rooftop-solar-surge-can-flip-the-energy-emergency-script.pdf
You can help by lending a bit to these 2 taxi drivers in Africa. Payback in 38 months. https://www.kiva.org/lend/3192962
In addition to Australia’s free electricity during peak solar hours, this press release from the UK government discusses discounted power on windy days in areas where wind farms are paid to switch off to avoid ‘wasted wind’.
“At the moment, wind farms are often paid to switch off on windy days, because the system can’t use all the power being generated, due to historic underinvestment in the grid required to match this supply with demand across the country.
“To tackle these so-called ‘constraint payments’, we are launching a new, innovative trial, which would mean that using the generated power would become a more cost-effective option compared to turning turbines off.”
Why not everywhere we have surplus renewable power?
And fight the deniers’ argument that renewables are expensive. No, they’re cheap!
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-make-plug-in-solar-available-within-months
Talking of free electricity in Australia....what I find interesting, often, in discussion on energy, specifically residential electricity, is the absolute refusal of some to accept what is demonstrably evident. I have home solar (installed with government subsidies - although even without those subsidies it is now about half the price I paid 13 years ago with subsidies) and a home battery, installed without subsidies in 2017 (although you can now get a government subsidy).
I live in a house with 3 adults (all in separate units but sharing one supply), an EV, 3 reverse cycle air-conditioners, 3 fridges, 3 washing machines & two dishwashers, 3 induction hotplates etc. Last year I received a REFUND of $700 from my electricity retailer for my feed in tariff, ie my total sales to the grid earned me $700 more than I paid.
Admittedly we live in climate that requires neither too much heating nor cooling but I know people in hotter and cooler climates who have achieved similar or better outcomes.
But when you tell people this and even show them the electricity bills they are so far down the rabbit hole of anti-renewables propaganda and anti-government conspiracy theories that they are convinced that it is some sort of trick.
Accepting that in Australia it's exceptionally cheap to install solar and batteries (we don't have the horrifically expensive installation approval process of the USA, for example) and there are Government subsidies the benefits of residential solar and storage are self-evident.
Bill. Rather than being something to celebrate, isn’t this just a result of integrating solar into a very coal heavy system, where the ‘must-run’ base generation is so high that when peak solar output is added there is an excess of power on the system compared to load? You see this impact and resulting negative pricing all over the world where the base generation level exceeds load (often at night with wind). The solar energy is great, but rather than an altruistic celebration of the ‘free’ renewable revolution, it would be better to focus on shifting from coal to even gas that can be ramped up and down better to reflect the solar duck curve issues. Or reinvest in storage at a grid level to shift the peak solar generation to match the load, effectively removing the need for as many coal plants. Free electricity is just a populist political move. Interested to hear your thoughts,