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April 16, 2025 12:04 AM UTC

Wednesday Open Thread

  • 25 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“This thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

–Mary Pickford

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25 thoughts on “Wednesday Open Thread”

  1. So. The constitutional crisis is at hand. As is so often the case, the campus becomes the battleground.

    Harvard is becoming the tip of a spear that promises to seriously wound the MAGAbeast. Let us hope this is the moment the MCRA (Moderate Conservative Republican Army) launches their counter-offensive.

    I jest, but, this is an opening for all the reluctant Republicans to come to the aid of their party…or is it now beyond their grasp?

  2. Texas Renewables: "What in Tarnation?!" David Volts interview with Doug Lewin

    Texas must have a different cost-benefit regime than Colorado.

    In radical clean energy Texas 90% of new energy growth over the past few years has been renewables.

    40 gigawatts of wind,
    30 gigawatts of solar,
    10 gigawatts of storage

    This will change going forward as Texas dis-encentives renewables, and the Trump tariffs make solar and batteries MUCH more expensive.

    Ironically (or should I say "stupidly"), China dominates the battery & solar electric industries in technology and productive capacity. 

    Not considering China's dominance and Trump's tariffs, over the next few years we are looking at battery prices cutting in half, and storage capacity/efficiency doubling.

    1. Texas Restructured it's Electricity under Governor Bush in the 1990s, who was replaced by Perry.

      There was a decision made that the lowest cost resources in Texas would win and that we would pay only for resources that actually generate. We weren't going to have a capacity market where we'd pay for a bunch of plants to sit around idle. So that was a policy choice. And I don't think anybody — the only policy choice for renewables was made in 1999 in that restructuring bill when a very modest renewable portfolio standard was established. I believe the original number was 2,000 megawatts.

      David Roberts

      Yeah, I think it's fair to say, looking back, that it was the market structure that encouraged the low-cost power rather than the RPS that did most of the work here. Right. You think that's fair?

      Doug Lewin

      I think that is fair. I think the RPS was kind of a first mover, but once that first movement happened, then yes, market dynamics and what is called in ERCOT economic dispatch. Right. There's no preference. Like in some states, you have environmental dispatch, you give a preference to a lower emitting source. We do not have that in Texas. It is only the lowest cost that is dispatched first and that as renewables — you asked about five years ago, what's changed in the last five years? The lines kind of cross. Right. Where renewables, particularly solar and storage, became cheaper, and they've really started to win out.

      David Roberts

      That explains, I think, the shift from building out a ton of gas to building out a ton of renewables. But what explains just the speed, the quantity? You've written that Texas has added over 44,000 megawatts of power in the last few years, which is like a 35% increase over its base. It's adding a gigawatt a month to the grid. What explains that speed? Is that just the market, too? Is that just market dynamics, too?

      1. It'll be interesting to see how Texas moves forward on renewables & nuclear. They are approaching it a lot more intelligently than California or Germany. They do pay for gas peaker (SCGT) plants to step in when the wind/solar dies off. But solar works very well for summer peak power.

        They're at 31% VRE and 35% seems to be the point at which depending on VREs starts to become a problem. Texas is seriously considering more nuclear. So they may level out their wind & solar. But then again they may keep increasing it and we can learn from them.

  3. DUKE, OL BUDDY. YOU ARE A HOOT.

    PLEASE SHARE WITH THE GROUP THE SECTION OF THE CONSTITUTION THAT ENTITLES PRIVATE SCHOOLS TO TAXPAYER FUNDS.

    1. I am still a bit stunned that you, of all people, should ask that question. I will give you a moment to reconsider it..if you then still think it is a relevant question, ask the District 51 school board…or Douglas county…or anyone of hundreds of school boards across the nation who want to give public money to Christian madrassas.

      Get back to me with their answer.

      Oh, by the way…

      It is soooo impolite to shout.

    2. I haven’t looked for a while, but I think Harvard research is right next to SpaceX in the Constitution. Or, at least Harvard was established before the time the Constitution was ratified.

    3. Roger, I haven't seen you since your friend, Tulsi Gabbard, took over as Director of National Intelligence. I'm guessing that you're quite pleased with that appointment?

    4. Oh good, the local fascist lickspittle for Putin's poodle has returned.  Tell me how the President has the authority to order the IRS to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status (hint:  he doesn't).  Tell me how interfering with Harvard's selection of topics to teach, professors to hire, and students to enroll is not a First Amendment violation (hint:  it is).  Now go fuck off back into the mom's basement of quislings.

    1. Is Dave Young running for Lt Gov or Sec of State?

      And, of course, Polis is running for POTUS.

      Gotta love musical chairs.

      1. These idiots who cut their deals and paid their tribute didn't realize that they were enlisting to become "the gift that will keep giving" over the next three and half (or more) years…..

      2. Trump Cos-Playing Gangsta'. They're not really deals.

        It turns out none of the agreements are really agreements. Nothing enforceable; not a real contract.

        The other wierd thing is that the "deals" are Trump specific. Nothing in the DOJ, nothing written down, but NOTHING legal or enforceable. So the law firms said fine, we'll sign this piece of paper, but it doesn't mean shit.

    2. The linked article now says 12 Republicans.

      Along with Valadao [CA] and Bacon [NE], the Republicans who signed the letter are largely moderate members from the more competitive districts in the country: Reps. Jeff Van Drew (N.J.), Rob Bresnahan (Pa.), Juan Ciscomani (Ariz.), Jen Kiggans (Va.), Young Kim (Calif.), Rob Wittman (Va.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.), Nick LaLota (N.Y.), Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.) and Jeff Hurd (Colo.).

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