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Dave Plotz
4aec67ab688f35fd5a09133437cc596be38063642ef31627d415b12ce3afefd8
Electric public utility general manager, public power advocate, CPA, CFA, hard money (₿) purist

Published another bitcoin mining and electric utility partnership benefits article, this time in Northwest Public Power Association’s monthly magazine emphasizing build ahead of need as the key value (as well as tapping stranded assets and demand management, already well known benefits)

#bitcoin #bitcoinmining #mining #utilities

https://nwppa-bulletin.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2025/aug-25/index.html (page 22)

Replying to Avatar Lyn Alden

Price often condenses information and provides clarity.

For a while, solar/wind proponents have operated with two simultaneous but generally conflicting narratives.

-One narrative is that solar/wind are more environmentally friendly and should be subsidized. To the extent that they don't grow sufficiently fast, it's because we're not doing enough to artificially boost their adoption.

-The other narrative is continually remind how cheap solar/wind have become. Proponents will post charts/studies showing that solar/wind are cheaper than other types of energy, and that it "just makes sense now". In practice, a lot of caveats are often excluded.

The thing is, price usually cuts through confusion on these types of matters. Especially price over a significant amount of time and space, rather than just price in a snapshot of time and locality.

If solar/wind are indeed cheaper than other energy sources, why aren't they being built in place of others? Why isn't it a no-brainer for any megacorp to just install terawatts of them all over? For example, the percentage growth of solar power in India over the past 5-10 years is impressive, but in terms of raw numbers, way more coal power was brought online during that period than solar. The answer is often that they're *not actually* cheaper in an all-inclusive sense. And if they're not cheaper, why is that? The answer is often because they're more materially intensive, less durable, and not as environmentally friendly as many proponents argue, either. That cost (panels, turbines, batteries, maintenance, decommissioning, and replacement) is going somewhere, and usually quite materially.

That's not to say that solar/wind don't have uses (they do), but their usage is often hamfisted into places where they're not the most economic choice, and where they are not the most economic choice, it's often because they're not necessarily the most environmental choice either.

Price is often ignored or fudged in analysis, but it really does provide a powerful signal in aggregate that's worth paying attention to.

Agreed price is a strong signal, but price *of what* is important especially with solar. When it comes to electricity, one must take into account reliability/availability.

The metric I most recommend is not cost per MW installed (nameplate,) but one that takes into account the costs of baseload generators (e.g. gas turbines) to support variable generators (solar or wind) to incorporate reliability across a regional grid, inclusive of the cost for capacity reservations, diversification of location, etc., called the “Levelized Full System Cost of Electricity” to get to 95% reliability, for example.

To be clear, my ask on the bitcoin periodical is to share with bitcoin #miners a nuance that even electric utilities are not yet aware of.

And the good folks at APPA simply said the article didn’t fit what they would normally run…it’s fine—this nuance I wrote about may become the norm, I predict.

Bitcoin magazine did respond expressing interest, but then dropped off and I haven’t heard back for a few weeks.

I’ve got the public power angle covered with a companion piece already— APPA passed on publishing (too controversial? lol) but I’m talking with a couple other regional public power organizations’ we are a part of newsletters/news magazines who have expressed interest, so hope to get something in there perhaps by August, maybe September.

I’ll check out EPRI as an option, appreciate it👍🏻

I’ve written an article about potential untapped value for partnerships between electric utilities and #bitcoin mining operations. In the bitcoin space is #bitcoinmagazine the best place to drop it? I’ve reached out and got a response but haven’t heard back since so they must be busy. So thinking about where else…

Any suggested publications?

nostr:npub1sg6plzptd64u62a878hep2kev88swjh3tw00gjsfl8f237lmu63q0uf63m we want to use square but the electric utility fee rate to beat is 0.7%. Nothing is more certain than electricity bills. Interesting thing is, we lose the utility rate if we charge separate fees for cc users….

Can square jump in?

nostr:npub1tlkcv9l7nfgjhlh4qjcq6zql90m8dsxru9van62wr234vhtaeevqfc8097 we want to use square but the electric utility rate to beat is 0.7%. Nothing is more certain than electricity bills. Interesting thing is, we lose the utility rate if we charge separate fees for cc users…. Can square jump in?

Does the government control 100% of the electricity and water supplies? If so, then the government effectively is lowering taxes in proportion that the utility bills are a proportion of one’s income.

Hi Brock, we are in the BPA balancing area. As public power our reasons for operating are slightly different than for-profit power entities, but the ultimate benefit to all power utilities by understanding and incorporating #bitcoin is the same; ratepayers and shareholders benefit.

It must be challenging orange pilling large energy companies (or executives of any large company,) but keep it up. Logic tends to win in utility space and I will contribute my voice as well.

Hello World!!

Electric Power Utility Manager in the US and enthusiast of how #bitcoin supports public power’s ethos. Look forward to working with y’all!

#introductions