St. Louis Energy News

quincunx · PostJul 26, 2025#3512025-07-26T15:58+00:00

Scientific American - ‘Corn Sweat’ Is Making This Heat Wave Even Worse

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... dwest-u-s/

I knew about the corn sweat. I didn't know that over 40% or corn is grown for ethanol and that solar arrays are 100x more energy productive per acre. And don't need fertilizer, but do need transmission lines, hello Grain Belt Express. Another reason to switch to EVs and e-bikes.

https://www.cleanwisconsin.org/solar-fa ... st-energy/

PostAug 15, 2025#3522025-08-15T03:13+00:00

Bank of America says electricity prices are up so much due to data centers.

daba8ea6-7a81-4f8f-91f3-49194ae03f70.png (134.47KiB)

PostAug 25, 2025#3532025-08-25T23:31+00:00

CNBC - Solar executives warn that Trump attack on renewables will lead to power crunch that spikes electricity prices

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/24/solar-w ... price.html

PostNov 06, 2025#3542025-11-06T22:46+00:00

This could be us

Electrek - Australia has so much solar that it’s offering everyone free electricity

https://electrek.co/2025/11/04/australi ... ty-3h-day/

Post12:08 AM - Jan 26#3552026-01-26T00:08+00:00

I ran across the grid operator Midcontinent Independent System Operator today. They asked utilities to ask customers to conserve electricity on account of the storm demand.
Their website shows some interesting stats.

https://www.misoenergy.org/

Post2:24 PM - Feb 12#3562026-02-12T14:24+00:00

Build wind and solar, sheesh.

Stl PR - Regulators give Ameren Missouri OK to build gas plant and batteries, in part for data centers

The natural gas plant will be able to generate 800 megawatts of power, which is about two-thirds the capacity of Ameren’s Callaway nuclear power plant, while the battery storage system will store 400MW of power.
In documents requesting approval for the project filed in June, Ameren officials said it was necessary, in part, to power new large data centers the company expects to move to the region.
“The Big Hollow Projects are needed to provide reliable service to all of our customers, due to the likelihood that we will add customers with significant new large loads in just the next few years,” wrote Ajay Arora, senior vice president and chief development officer.
In a January filing, Arora wrote that the company is at an advanced stage of signing electric contracts with companies for 2,000MW of new electric load, which would represent 2 ½ gas plants of electricity.

https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-en ... ta-centers

Bart Harley Jarvis · Post3:12 PM - Feb 12#3572026-02-12T15:12+00:00

quincunx wrote: ↑
2:24 PM - Feb 12
Build wind and solar, sheesh.

Stl PR - Regulators give Ameren Missouri OK to build gas plant and batteries, in part for data centers

The natural gas plant will be able to generate 800 megawatts of power, which is about two-thirds the capacity of Ameren’s Callaway nuclear power plant, while the battery storage system will store 400MW of power.
In documents requesting approval for the project filed in June, Ameren officials said it was necessary, in part, to power new large data centers the company expects to move to the region.
“The Big Hollow Projects are needed to provide reliable service to all of our customers, due to the likelihood that we will add customers with significant new large loads in just the next few years,” wrote Ajay Arora, senior vice president and chief development officer.
In a January filing, Arora wrote that the company is at an advanced stage of signing electric contracts with companies for 2,000MW of new electric load, which would represent 2 ½ gas plants of electricity.
https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-en ... ta-centers

Or, let the data centers build (and pay for) their own power supplies?

quincunx · Post3:41 PM - Feb 12#3582026-02-12T15:41+00:00

Maybe, as long as it's not fossil-fuel based, though it's not like we force BJC or some other big power user to build their own power plants. It's like how I'd like to force Imo's to build a mixed use building on Morgan Ford, but their business is selling pizza, not mixed-use development. Certianly they should be required to cover their roofs with solar panels.

Trololzilla · Post9:31 AM - Feb 13#3592026-02-13T09:31+00:00

Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑
3:12 PM - Feb 12

Or, let the data centers build (and pay for) their own power supplies?

Still have no idea why Ameren is so reticent on expanding Callaway. They should do that and build a few more nuke plants.

^ Because an Imo's doesn't suck power and water for no reason the way a data center does?

quincunx · Post12:41 PM - Feb 13#3602026-02-13T12:41+00:00

Ameren hasn't built another reactor because no one would finance it. That's why they needed MoLeg to allow them to charge customers for construction before it produces any power.
I believe in the physics and base load reliability of nuclear, but the finances and deployment time are terrible. $20B for 1GW in 15 years, or add $1B in solar and batteries every year. An easy choice.

moorlander · Post3:15 PM - Feb 13#3612026-02-13T15:15+00:00

How do the solar arrays hold up to the periodic hail storms we get?

dredger · Post5:12 PM - Feb 23#3622026-02-23T17:12+00:00

Curious how battery system plays into a natural gas plant if anyone has some insight. I assume it would allow a more consistent plant ops where you run, charge up the batteries, and then repeat while letting the batteries handle the variation throughout the day? Same as combining batteries with large solar plants?

The Missouri Public Service Commission approved the 800-megawatt gas plant and battery system.

st-louis-energy-news-marketing-t10690-s ... duce=login

quincunx · Post5:19 PM - Feb 23#3632026-02-23T17:19+00:00

Sounds like they're for Ameren's wind and solar facilties to charge.

Arora also said in filings that the battery storage in particular would be appealing to data center customers with renewable energy goals.

Post3:00 PM - 15 days ago#3642026-04-08T15:00+00:00

I thought they passed this last year.
The wind and solar obstructionists and fossil fuel pushers are the ones living 50 years in the past.

Stl PR - Missourians would pay for nuclear power plant construction under bill that passes House

“We can live 50 years in the past, we can continue to cycle 50-year-old arguments,” said Rep. John Black, R-Marshfield, the bill's sponsor, during first-round approval last week. “Or, we can move forward for the people of the state of Missouri.”

“We want the construction jobs to build those plants. We want the jobs to operate those plants,” Black said. “We don't want to pay the extra cost to transport that energy in from some other state.”

https://www.stlpr.org/government-politi ... sses-house

mjbais1489 · Post6:52 PM - 15 days ago#3652026-04-08T18:52+00:00

quincunx wrote: ↑
3:00 PM - 15 days ago
I thought they passed this last year.
The wind and solar obstructionists and fossil fuel pushers are the ones living 50 years in the past.

Stl PR - Missourians would pay for nuclear power plant construction under bill that passes House

“We can live 50 years in the past, we can continue to cycle 50-year-old arguments,” said Rep. John Black, R-Marshfield, the bill's sponsor, during first-round approval last week. “Or, we can move forward for the people of the state of Missouri.”

“We want the construction jobs to build those plants. We want the jobs to operate those plants,” Black said. “We don't want to pay the extra cost to transport that energy in from some other state.”
https://www.stlpr.org/government-politi ... sses-house

Great news. Lets build more!

framer · Post6:53 PM - 15 days ago#3662026-04-08T18:53+00:00

Nuclear power is the future.

dbInSouthCity · Post7:05 PM - 15 days ago#3672026-04-08T19:05+00:00

framer wrote: ↑
6:53 PM - 15 days ago
Nuclear power is the future.

To a very destructive meltdown, yes

StlAlex · Post7:21 PM - 15 days ago#3682026-04-08T19:21+00:00

Rare time when Framer is extremely right while DB is extremely wrong.

Sent from my SM-S936U using Tapatalk

BarryGlick · Post7:54 PM - 15 days ago#3692026-04-08T19:54+00:00

The US is wasting time and resources in overseas conflicts, National security should be built on domestic strength, specifically by securing our power grid and reducing global oil dependence. We have the technology, tools, solar, wind, advanced battery storage, nuclear power and electric vehicles to make this happen.
We have the wrong people in place to make this happen.

Otthouse · Post9:32 PM - 15 days ago#3702026-04-08T21:32+00:00

BarryGlick wrote: ↑
7:54 PM - 15 days ago
The US is wasting time and resources in overseas conflicts, National security should be built on domestic strength, specifically by securing our power grid and reducing global oil dependence. We have the technology, tools, solar, wind, advanced battery storage, nuclear power and electric vehicles to make this happen.
We have the wrong people in place to make this happen.

This this, a thousand times this.

STLcommenter · Post9:47 PM - 15 days ago#3712026-04-08T21:47+00:00

dbInSouthCity wrote:
framer wrote: ↑
6:53 PM - 15 days ago
Nuclear power is the future.
To a very destructive meltdown, yes

Nuclear is safe and clean. And we need energy when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

quincunx · Post10:09 PM - 15 days ago#3722026-04-08T22:09+00:00

Ever heard of batteries?

Trololzilla · Post5:25 AM - 15 days ago#3732026-04-09T05:25+00:00

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑
7:05 PM - 15 days ago
To a very destructive meltdown, yes

Incredibly incorrect. Very L take, tbh.

mjbais1489 · Post6:05 PM - 14 days ago#3742026-04-09T18:05+00:00

quincunx wrote: ↑
10:09 PM - 15 days ago
Ever heard of batteries?

Batteries are also great! Lets build some batteries with Sun & Wind Farms plus the nuculear!

GoHarvOrGoHome · Post8:52 PM - 14 days ago#3752026-04-09T20:52+00:00

A new nuclear power plant designed in 2026 is a couple orders a magnitude safer than most of our current active reactors. Technology has come a loooong way. Some of these techs, particularly the molten salt reactors don't even have the ability to melt down.

Plus, this is Missouri. There is no political support for building any kind of large scale renewable energy. This is as good as it gets for us anytime soon.

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