The power companies primarily provide a grid, high availability and secondarily charge for power (which should be rapidly headed towards zero given renewable uptake). FWIW, I think the grid is a natural monopoly and should never have been privatized, and certainly the power companies are doing the the bare minimum of maintenance and bugger all expansion to cope with solar input and EV output. If they leave it get bad enough the Government will have to step in and do it for them, pure profit.
The real threat to power companies is people with a big battery have the option to go fuck it, I’m getting a genset and some diesel and disconnecting, which means they no longer have the entire population over a barrel and might have to provide some value. The real solution is to cut the Gordian knot and re-nationailze the whole grid (instead of statewide as it was), which will also be easier with the weaker bargaining position they have with a large battery population.
hanrahan@slrpnk.net 1 week ago
Service fee will just go up. And like water you can go “off the grid” if poles run past your house
We (m and f couple) lived off grid for 10 years with a 2kW solar and a 5/7kW inverter easily in Northern NSW.
Now back on grid with a solar sysyem (no battery) in Tassie. Hard being off grid here with solar, shitty winter sun. Were frugal anyway, so can’t be fucked hetting a battery. (and remote, getting anyone to do anything is problematic)