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It's a little odd that Bulb, who boast about supplying "100% renewable" power, are affected by gas prices.
by dumb_throw 5y ago
It's a little odd that Bulb, who boast about supplying "100% renewable" power, are affected by gas prices.
- MattPalmer1086 5y agoElectricity is from renewables, gas is made green through offsetting. They supply both. Edit: at least in the UK, they only claim green, not fully renewable.
- dumb_throw 5y agoRight, so they should have a competitive advantage over those "traditional" fossil-fuel burning electricity suppliers. That is, they can continue selling renewable electricity unaffected by gas prices.
- MattPalmer1086 5y agoIt does seem like they would have an advantage there, although they would still be affected.
- shalmanese 5y agoWell, yeah, because electricity is fungible. Other power providers that can't get the electricity they need from gas are turning to renewables, driving up prices for everyone.
- dumb_throw 5y agoThat's not what's happening. Coal-fired power stations are being re-activated to cover the shortfall. You do raise a good point - as electricity is fungible, and the power grid is built, operated, and maintained by a national institution, then how can a particular energy provider promise that their power is more renewable than that from the the others? Otherwise, every time Bulb gets a new customer, we are supposed to believe that they get all the renewable electrons, and the power supplied to the rest of us is just a bit more fossil-fueled. I do know the answer, and that is that those companies just buy and sell the various "pinky promise" certificates and accreditations that pass for being "renewable" and "carbon-neutral" , and have nothing at all to do with actually boosting the supply of renewables.