patrick.net

New Renter says

Or an overheated hellhole where the rising sea levels have put all coastal communites literally underwater.

That's the scenario I'm betting on.

Our endless "one-upmanship" will ultimately bring about our extinction.

Seems fair.

justme says

It is faulty to think that one can use the argument that "my locally generated power is greener than the average grid mix".

I admit, the workings of "the grid" are totally beyond my circle of competence.

With alternating current, a lot of the "common sense" goes out the window.

justme,
Sure, we're all interconnected now, but note that one benefit of Tres Amigas is to make it easier to ramp up production of renewable electricity.
@freak80 -- Tres Amigas is actually a high voltage DC interconnection (as the three amigas that it connects are AC islands that aren't synchronized with each other).

EBGuy says

Tres Amigas is actually a high voltage DC interconnection (as the three amigas that it connects are AC islands that aren't synchronized with each other).

Those guys were *never* synchronized with each other.

EBGuy says

justme,
Sure, we're all interconnected now, but note that one benefit of Tres Amigas is to make it easier to ramp up production of renewable electricity.

I'm not disagreeing. I'm all in favor of full connectivity, as I think should be obvious.

But note that the Tres Amigas interconnection can be used in detrimental ways as well.

For example, whenever east-cost coal-fired electricity is cheaper than west-coast natgas-fired electricity, Tres Amigas can be used to INCREASE the gCO2/kWh by purchasing and transferring electricity from the east cost and transferring to the west coast, all the while reducing output from west coast natgas plants. Basically the grid mix can be made WORSE if someone has economic incentive to do it. For sure, grid mix can be regulated by law, but who knows whether and how that might happen in practice.

Only one thing is certain: Tres Amigas creates a truly national market for electricity, and it will no longer be possible for anyone to claim that "the electricity *I* use is greener than what other people use".