What a natural gas distribution company actually chooses to do is limited by its local role or roles. When the same company is the utility for both gas and electricity it can transition customers from gas heat to heat pumps, and get some sales on the electricity side to make up for what it loses on the gas side.
However, when the company only distributes gas (as does National Grid on Long Island) it has absolutely no incentive to replace gas heat with (potentially renewably generated) efficient electric heat. Instead National Grid is extending its distribution lines here to sign up more customers, and converting oil heat customers to gas heat, which conversion has minimal to zero carbon emission impact. Those new lines will physically last long after New York is supposed to transition off fossil fuel heating. It will be interesting to see over what lifetime the Public Service Commission allows them to be depreciated.
Or perhaps sufficient "green hydrogen" produced by using surplus (i.e. otherwise curtailed) renewable electricity to electrolyze water into hydrogen gas will appear. Or sufficient "renewable natural gas" from composting organic material, etc. will be available at competitive prices. Either of these would allow such companies to continue their business model.
We live in interesting times indeed.
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Peter Gollon
pgollon@aol.com------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: Mar 03, 2021 09:34 AM
From: william fitch
Subject: Natural Gas Companies or New Renewable Companies
Doesn't it always....
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william fitch
Owner
www.WeAreSolar.com
fcfcfc@ptd.net
Original Message:
Sent: Feb 22, 2021 08:04 PM
From: David Howard
Subject: Natural Gas Companies or New Renewable Companies
Hey Adam, I'm with Achyut. I've watched this for 40+ years. There have been some big companies that bought up promising solar companies in the past, and we all thought wow! here we go, only to have them let them languish and then close them. I think this time is different, and I hope so. Still I also always look for Santa on Christmas Eve.
I think the only way to make them really change their spots is to put the pressure on fossil fuels, while not endangering our national security, and making renewables an attractive investment. Most of that speaks to money.
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David Howard
Retired
davidlhoward@gmail.com
Original Message:
Sent: Feb 22, 2021 04:56 PM
From: Adam Vicksman
Subject: Natural Gas Companies or New Renewable Companies
I agree that it would be nice to see some new faces in the game as well as having the oil titans make the switch to being cleaner. I think if there is a combination of the two it will be the fastest way to move to clean fuel and energy.
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[Adam] [Vicksman]
[Membership & Database Analyst Intern,]
[American Solar Energy Society]
[avicksman@ases.org]
Original Message:
Sent: Feb 22, 2021 10:15 AM
From: Achyut Shrestha
Subject: Natural Gas Companies or New Renewable Companies
In my personal opinion, it would refreshing to have new companies and take control of the market, however, the older larger titans of the market still control a significant portion of the market and the transition will be much quicker if they play along. There have been several instances before where these companies have tried to shift toward renewable energy only to change their minds later. However this time, they feel the heat from companies like Tesla, NextEra Energy. Also I believe, these large oil/gas companies will shift towards hydrogen as the next fuel, in which case, a lot of their existing technologies in processing, transporting, and other will be easily transferrable.
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Achyut Shrestha
achyut.achyut@gmail.com
Original Message:
Sent: Feb 21, 2021 08:54 PM
From: Adam Vicksman
Subject: Natural Gas Companies or New Renewable Companies
With there being a big push for renewable energy there is lots of pressure being put on the natural gas companies to make a change. Some of these companies have are already planning on making the change. BP has pledged to have a net-zero emission by 2050. Is it a good thing for the companies that are already in control of the natural gas industry to be leaders in the renewable energy movement or would it be better if new companies come in and take control of the market?
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[Adam] [Vicksman]
[Membership & Database Analyst Intern,]
[American Solar Energy Society]
[avicksman@ases.org]
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