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Another ploy though is to have the power companies subsidize the upgrades.
The idea is that reduced demand will keep the power company from having to
build a new, expensive power plant. So, even though they sell less energy
(they can always jack up the price, especially BECAUSE of their
philanthropic insulation program) it is to their advantage in the end.
That might work in some areas and would have worked a few years ago, but it
would seem that the Power companies have discovered WIND. The advantage of
wind is that they can add capacity in small increments at small capital
costs. The total load covered by wind is still small enough that the
companies can handle 'calm days' by maxing out their coal/nuclear or by
drawing from the grid. This is ultimately a way to higher profits (I think)
than giving away insulation. Down the road, when the U.S. reaches its
stated (semi-short term) goal of 20% of electricity from wind, the calm day
may well produce some local brownouts. If and when wind might take over a
larger percentage and of the whole energy demand, that grid better be damn
smart! Well at least IBM is working on that. ;-)