• LemmyFeed@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    Oregon ratepayers have been hit with six consecutive years of rate increases amid what PGE says is an unprecedented rise in demand for electricity, of which data centers are a major driver.

    I bet the rates will continue to rise regardless. PGE has had historic pay and bonuses for their top levels in these last 6 years while boasting record profits.

    Fun fact, the biggest shareholder of Portland general electric is blackrock.

      • LemmyFeed@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        11 hours ago

        100% agree, especially considering it’s a monopoly and I literally have no choice in electric provider. I’m a captive customer who must pay what I’m charged, I can’t shop around or “vote with my dollar”, and I can’t go without electricity, I’m legally obligated to keep services connected to my home.

    • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
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      14 hours ago

      huh. just thinking out loud. i’m wondering what it would take to have a nice little balcony solar panel i could plug into my rooftop array and then maybe unplug and take camping with me. or unplug and use as an emergency supply when the grid goes down and plug into my camping inverter because that’s how i’d be using it anyways, and then i can get rid of that big ugly gas generator in the yard.

      i figured out how to get it to work camping already, i am just thinking about the roof part. i should probably get an expert if i do it. i ain’t wanna fuck with the electrical on the house more than a switch.

      • LemmyFeed@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        13 hours ago

        I’ve been thinking something very similar. I don’t have any existing solar but there’s these balcony solar setups, that are all the rage in Germany, coming to the US, that just plug in to a regular outlet or battery storage. Not enough for whole house power, but with a good enough battery system you could probably get decent runtime for essential power needs.

        • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
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          13 hours ago

          Well like we’ve got a good solar setup [edit already] but I want my camping solar right? For the ebikes. And why the fuck put it on the shelf when I’m not camping