Tariff flag is a term that many are unaware of or commonly confused with energy tariffs, without really understanding the extent of this concept and its importance, both environmental and financial, as it directly interferes with the energy consumer’s pocket. With the Electricity Rates this is important now.

The Recource

Due to the abundance of water resources, country’s main energy matrix is ​​represented by hydroelectric dams. Although this is favorable from an environmental perspective, as it is a clean source, it is particularly problematic in times of water crisis. While energy production declines due to the lower amount of water passing through the turbines, demand remains unchanged, necessitating the activation of thermoelectric and thermonuclear plants. It is precisely this factor that causes the cost of energy to increase, since the primary source of the hydroelectric power is water, which is free. For the operation of the fired plants, it is necessary to purchase fuel, which makes this form of production more expensive, and, consequently, the final price charged for electricity.

In this context, tariff flags emerge, which, unlike energy tariffs (which define the normal price of energy taking into account a favorable generation scenario), serve exactly to stipulate the price variation in times of water crisis or lower production.

That demand

There are three flags, divided by colors. Green is used when the power generation condition is favorable. Already yellow represents less favorable conditions of generation, causing an increase of $ 0.02 for each kilowatt hour (kWh) consumed. The red flag, in turn, has two levels: the first level to add $ 0.03 to the energy bill for each kilowatt hour consumed, and the second level increases this cost to $ 0.035.

• Although it is not possible to change the banner by lowering its own consumption, this mechanism plays a key role in raising consumer awareness as it warns of unexpected increases in the electricity bill and enables the user to adapt their consumption to a higher bill price. power.
• In addition, they make the light bill more transparent. Unlike the previous rule, which provided for the transfer only in annual tariff adjustments, the consumer has a signal to react to a higher price and gains a more active role in defining their account.

There are currently a range of superconductor applications on the world market, such as the famous European particle collider LHC, located at the consortium of several European nations (CERN). In addition, there is the use of superconductors in electrical machines, widely used in situations where space and efficiency are critical factors. There is also a design for replacing common conductors with superconductors, as they demonstrate very low resistance and energy loss in the same order of magnitude.

Last Words

Major technology companies are also interested in this area. Lexus recently recorded a commercial inspired by a scene from the movie “Back to the Future,” where people rode a wheel less skateboard called hoverboards, using only the Meissner effect. Such a phenomenon occurs when we subject a superconductor to a magnetic field, and as these materials reject the entire field to which they are subjected, the conductor becomes trapped in magnetic magnitude.

The study of superconductivity is still recent and much remains to be discovered. At the moment, price is one of the most difficult factors in the execution of projects, since the cost to keep materials refrigerated is high. For the not-so-distant future, we expect new applications and technology to become affordable to all potential consumers.