From what I heard on NPR last night on the way home the issue is not about lack of power. There are actually more than enough power generators to supply the power that is needed. This problem is cuased by the fact there was an enrgy exchange that was developed during the deregulation of power.
How is works is that the Power companies by power form the energy exchange, and then sell it to the consumer. Part of the legislation that affects the deregulation says that the power companies can only charge the consumer x dollars for the power. However, the energy exchange does not have this cap. As a result, the energy exchanged created an artificial shortage. This caused the price to skyrocket, and is driving the power companies out of business.
So, the bottom line is that the deregulation is the cause of the problem, and that computers are just a scapegoat.
Nobody wants to assume responsibility for their actions anymore. That is the key.
Slashdot Mirror
From what I heard on NPR last night on the way home the issue is not about lack of power. There are actually more than enough power generators to supply the power that is needed. This problem is cuased by the fact there was an enrgy exchange that was developed during the deregulation of power. How is works is that the Power companies by power form the energy exchange, and then sell it to the consumer. Part of the legislation that affects the deregulation says that the power companies can only charge the consumer x dollars for the power. However, the energy exchange does not have this cap. As a result, the energy exchanged created an artificial shortage. This caused the price to skyrocket, and is driving the power companies out of business. So, the bottom line is that the deregulation is the cause of the problem, and that computers are just a scapegoat. Nobody wants to assume responsibility for their actions anymore. That is the key.