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Ruben Cober's avatar

Happening more and more in the Netherlands too, with thousands of businesses waiting to get on the grid, even with a de facto 'connection ban' in the province of Utrecht. At the same time, the Dutch government is increasingly 'warning' its citizens that (consumption of) energy, water and other basic necessities are not 'a given' any longer. A kind of degrowth fantasy is being presented to citizens as if it's a good thing.

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

Authorities that are increasingly failing to provide basic services are in for a rough time.

Flippin’ Jersey's avatar

Guaranteed the quango crew aren’t going to be cold this winter. Freeze your balls off for thee, but not for me.

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

Some are more equal than others.

James's avatar

It's appalling but unsurprising to hear of this news, but Muller and Milliband may not be the only ones with the throttle control. These are certainly the same BYD batteries used in other Eco Stor projects.

Remember that Chinese batteries, inverters, and related power equipment have been discovered to have cybersecurity risks, potential remote access / disruption capabilities, not to mention risk to supply-chain dependency, and national-security exposure. Experts here in the USA who disassembled grid-connected Chinese solar inverters and battery systems found undocumented communication devices (including cellular radios) not listed in product documentation.

The entire collection of unreliables' problem is far from the intermittent nature.

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

True. Inverters with the capability to phone home are a major risk.

Al Christie's avatar

Right. There's more than one layer of problems. My post the other day "The Trouble With Grid-size Batteries", only covers one more layer - the built-in 3-5% loss of efficiency every year, which requires their relatively frequent replacement - even if they made sense without subsidies and arbitrageurs.

winston's avatar

All you electricity kulaks take note. Stock up on candles and long johns.

Andy Fately's avatar

sweaters too!

Irritated Max's avatar

I once got a sweater as a gift, but what I really wanted was a screamer or a moaner...

Irritated Max's avatar

Does that make me a hoarder as well as a wrecker?

Pete Howard's avatar

This is what happens, when your politicians have an insane green energy policy for decades, that does absolutely NOTHING for the climate, and excludes fossil fuels. Enjoy! What could go wrong?

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

Green is the color of the gullible.

Martin's avatar

Yep, EU MUST go to net zero so China can keep burning coal without regard to climate effects (non substantial.) Climatards just helping China.

Ballynally's avatar

As a company i would totally invest in longterm funds in a country that can decide to cut off my energy at any moment and who makes it expensive to use reliable energy like hydrocarbons. Because i would so love my country that i will volunteer to punish myself and stay put and bind myself to the Progress Path of Net Zero. I welcome the transition and the limitations put forward. I have faith in the expertise of our leaders and the political system. 😀

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

You can always start a business in compliance monitoring. One of the few growth sectors left in Europe.

Al Christie's avatar

This is a joke, right?

Chris's avatar

Grateful for this analysis. I view EU "do-good interventions" for efficiency or climate change through the lens of financialisation and the search for stable yield: securitization of municipal parking receipts, British rail franchises, motorways, water companies. Turning an essential service into a private monopoly to extract rents. The system is eating itself, and it's being taken to another cynical level with the green-mafia. At the tail end we will see the decommissioning reserve won't be enough to dismantle and remove solar panels and windmills, another public expense in the making.

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

Decommissioning that stuff will be “interesting” for sure.

dave walker's avatar

What a revealing piece. It’s worse than I thought, and I just said that a few weeks ago……

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

The bottom probably hasn’t been reached.

Elisabeth Robson's avatar

"EcoStor" 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Propaganda to make people think batteries are "clean"... for all gullible people who've never seen a lithium mine, or a graphite mine, or a copper mine, or a nickel mine, or a tailings dam collapse... (or the massive quantities of diesel and sulfuric acid, both fossil fuel products, required to mine and refine those materials)...

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

Astute observation.

American Psycho's avatar

A really powerful piece, Brawl. Of all the tools available for reduction of energy use and impoverishing citizens, none is as effective as those (tools) holding political positions.

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

That sums it up nicely 😂

Jimmy H's avatar

And when the layoffs continue as industry closes and moves to countries with energy security & continuity, the AfD will begin to win power while these net zero nitwits scream fascism and wonder why they are losing....when it's they that practicing authoritarianism.. in the name of saving democracy...LOL

Andy Fately's avatar

and of course, regarding BESS, there is no discussion of the fire risk and the toxins those fires release, as well as the obvious destruction of their power source.

fur coats are going to be all the rage this winter I have a feeling

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

Right. Living close to a nuclear plant might be safer than living close to a BESS.

Daph Enby's avatar

Very sad. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Flippin’ Jersey's avatar

The road to hell is paved with greed and lust for power. There is no way they don’t know how stupid “net zero” is. The math and science is there to show how ridiculous the effort is.

Andy Fately's avatar

I disagree, I think they are so inculcated in the ideas, they actually believe them. it is their religion, not a policy concept

Flippin’ Jersey's avatar

Definitely religion adjacent. But most religions allow some doubt, the climate cult brooks no schism. You either all in, or the enemy.

Incautious Optimism's avatar

That's why it's more important than ever to have multiple sources of heating energy for your house, even if that means installing a semi-legal corner stove.

Personally I have an oil burner and a back-boiler stover for coal or wood. If I ever go for a heat pump, I'm keeping the back-ups.

The Brawl Street Journal's avatar

Blessed are those who over-provision, for the shortage will find them prepared.

Mort Enerichzen's avatar

Madness.