Texas RR History Web Page

09/22/2024

"Base Power" Company

Here is an interesting company in Austin, Texas that offers a unique product. Read this dialogue with John Helgesson from Base Power and think about it. ("California, eat your heart out!")

Base Power is a nascent company. Strangely enough, Pflugerville TX is one of the first communities that has access to this product.

Here is a back and forth dialogue with John:

BASE POWER HOME BACKUP

Here is a log of my analysis and education about of Base Power.

================================

A log of my conversation with Base Power and
John Helgesson:

2024-08-27
ARTICLE ON BASE POWER IN COMMUNITY IMPACT
https://communityimpact.com/austin/south-central-austin/business/2024/08/27/base-power-company-offers-backup-power-option-for-greater-north-austin-community

BASE POWER WEB PAGE
https://www.basepowercompany.com

COMPETITORS (Not same business model as BASE POWER)
This article contains product specs and prices.
It is dated 2024-08-21
https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/energy/best-home-battery/

Below are my questions to

John Helgesson
Growth Team, Base Power
512.518.1009
[email protected]

205 E Riverside Dr
Austin, TX 78704

and his responses. It was a back and
forth discussion. After writing these
emails, I can think of 4 additional
questions:

1) What are the failure modes and how do
those failure modes effect my access
to electricty? Does Base Power have
guaranteed repair times for Base Power
equipment failures?

Does Base Power have a

"BYPASS BASE POWER" switch
that cuts BP out of my
home circuit when a BP
component fails?

Such a switch would relieve me of
concerns about the length of
time between a BP component failure
and restoration of electricty.

2) A 20kwH battery might not be very
long for a 6000 sq ft house. Are
there future plans to place two or
more batteries in parrallel or
offer bigger batteries?

3) How does Base Power deal with brownouts?

4) Can Base Power use my solar panel
generated electricity? If not does
Base Power have that feature as
a priority for development?

The Base Power Q&A back-and-forth
begins below.

You should read the Community Impact
article before reading below to
understand some of the implied contexts.

------------------------------------------

(Questions to Base Power after me reading
the Community Impact article.)

2024-09-13
11:00 AM
To: Base Power; From: Ed

1. What happens when I change away from Base Power?

2. Can it be installed either on the inside or outside
wall of my garage?

3. Once installed, how do I test it?

4. How often do you come to my house to
maintain/service the system?

5. How long does power last in the Fall and
Spring when neither the AC or heater are
in use?

6. Does your system keep any record of when
and for how long power has been lost?

7. Where can I see it installed and working?

8. What is the current price per kwH for my
address (3313 Taylor Falls Dr, 78660)?

2024-09-15
12:31 AM
To: Base Power; From: Ed

(John Helgesson's paraphrased responses below
in parenthesis, along with my further questions.
His actual email is below after this.)

1. What happens when I change away from Base Power?

("There is a $1000 deinstalltion fee to recover
our equipment")

Is the $1000 in the contract? Does it grow
over time?

2. Can it be installed either on the inside or outside
wall of my garage?

(~we prefer it on outside so it can be serviced~)

I want it inside to prevent vandals (or worse).
I can give you a "code" to open
the garage door to service the battery and your
equipment. Otherwise, I accept any delays associated
with your inability to access in a timely manner.

Does that work for y'all?

3. Once installed, how do I test it?

OK, I can ("throw the switch") and see for myself.
After installation, will your installtion folks
do that to demonstrate your product to your
brand new customer? (Seems like a good idea to me.)

4. How often do you come to my house to
maintain/service the system?

("Physical access is rare") - OK, I understand.

5. How long does power last in the Fall and
Spring when neither the AC or heater are
in use?

(No answer, but see next dated entry)

I understood from your website that 24 hrs
would be for AC/Heater and everything.
Your response suggests otherwise. Below
I have included a picture of my electricity usage
during the past 12 months (Sep 2023-Sep 2024).

Can you give me a more complete response based on
my actual usage?

Your website mentions 13c/kwH as a price your
product would beat. The numbers you sent suggests
13.7c/kwH. I am currently (Aug 15 - Sep 15 $165.58
for 1499 kwH == 11c/kwH).

I think my decision is based on the following
question:

Is "power reliability" worth 2.7c/kwH in addition
to what I am paying now.

(I use the "Gexa" app on my iPhone to get
these numbers and the pic below.)

I remember your price is better than 13kwH.
Is that correct? If so, why the 13.7c/kwH?

Do you have larger battery options?

(
Ideally, I want a battery that lasts two
days with no AC/Heater usage. The only
necessary appliances are refridgerator and
freezer. Can you folks estimate usage
without AC/Heater based on my graph
of annual usage?
)

6. Does your system keep any record of when
and for how long power has been lost?
How do I access the record of my usage?

(No answer, but see below)

7. Where can I see it installed and working?

(No answer, but see below)

8. What is the current price per kwH for my
address (33-- Taylor Falls Dr, 78660)?

(~13.7c/kwH~)

I'm currently paying 11c/kwH.

---------------------------------

2024-09-16
9:27 AM
To: Ed; From: Base Power

On Mon, Sep 16, 2024 at 9:27 AM John Helgesson
wrote:

Hi Ed,

1. The $1000 deinstallation fee is stated
in the agreement. It's a flat fee and does
not grow over time.

2. Yes, we can install the battery in the
garage as long as the wall we install it on
is on the other side of where the meter is
located (the battery would sit back to back
with the meter).

3. After installation the technicians do
perform a fake outage to test the equipment.
If you are home for the installation, you can
request they notify you when they do that so
you can see how it works.

5. During your March time period you are
consuming ~550kWh. That is ~18kWh/day.
The battery stores 20kWh so your backup
time would be over 24 hours.

Your highest consuming month (Oct) you are
consuming ~1350kWh which is ~43kWh/day so
the battery would last about 11 hours.
If you were to curtail your usage when
you notice the grid is out, the battery
will last longer. In regards to the rate
change you noticed, this just happened a
few days ago. Oncor increased their delivery
charges and that is something all REPs
have to incur.

"The increase in TDSP charges is entirely
determined by the utility company and
approved by the Public Utility Commission.
Base does not have any control over these
charges, and we do not receive any portion
of the fees collected.

Here is how the rates are changing starting
in September:

Delivery Charges:
Previous: 4.6¢ / kWh + $4.23/month
New : 5.2¢ / kWh + $4.23/month"

We only have a single battery size which
is 20kWh capacity.

6. We have fleetwide data. In the future we
will add the ability for consumers to see
how many outage events took place and for
how long, but that is not currently
available from the customer dashboard.

7. You can see examples from our press page

https://www.basepowercompany.com/press

and specifically this example. You could
come to our Austin office at 205 East Riverside
Dr Suite 100 and we have a demo we can show
you. We don't have customer home addresses
available for visiting though.

Hope that answers your questions. Would be great
to speak with you later today if you can call at one
of the times mentioned in the other email. Otherwise,
give us a call at any time and someone should be
able to take your call and answer any additional
questions.

Regards,
John

---------------------------------

My next step is to "go see" at 205 Riverside Dr

---------------------------------

2024-09-21

John Helgesson
12:23 PM (8 hours ago)
to me

Hi Ed,

I think this is great! I am certainly OK with you publishing everything.

The additional questions you are seeking answers to:

1. For any instance when a fault is detected
that requires Base Power attention,
we would work to resolve the issue as
quickly as possible with our best
efforts, but cannot guarantee a resolution
timeframe. We do have a Base Power bypass
where, if a fault is detected, we
could remotely disconnect the battery
from your home so that it does not
unintentionally cause a power
outage to your home.

2. We are working on the capability to install
up to two batteries per home as well
as increasing the capacity and power
output of the batteries. This is under
development and we are not yet sure
when this will be available.
Adding increased storage capacity
(second battery) to existing customers
would be something we would like to
offer when the capability becomes
available.

3. During a brownout, the Base Power
equipment will detect the voltage
irregularity and switch to supplying
backup power to the home to keep your
power supply consistent. The Base
Power equipment would need to detect
nominal voltage from the grid for
5 minutes before it restores grid
connection.

4. Any excess solar energy generated
by your solar panels, whether it goes
to the grid or the battery, will
receive a credit of wholesale market
value + 3c/kWh. In the event of a
grid outage, the Base Power battery
allows your solar to continue producing
power for your home and will recharge the
batteries.

Looking forward to meeting you when you
visit the office!

Regards,
John

================================

Base provides reliable and affordable energy, starting in Texas.

05/12/2024

I dare anyone to try OpenAi, Microsoft, and Google
AI to summarize in 500 words or less each of Joe
Biden's Executive Orders (EO's):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_executive_actions_by_Joe_Biden

The experiment produces the same curious
results with any other POTUS in recent history!

Here is a simple exercise that all students of AI
can do that demonstrates the differences between
all three.

If you don't see a difference, please reply to
this note with an explanation.

Ed Bradford
Pflugerville, TX

openai -- https://chatgpt.com
Microsoft -- https://copilot.microsoft.com
Gemini -- https://gemini.google.com/app
(all url's were verified on an up-to-date
Mac as of 2024-05-11).

Understanding AI requires work and diligence.
Otherwise, you are just trusting others to
create your views.

01/12/2024

CHATGPT SUCKS!

2024-01-11 - ChatGPT 3.5

SEE FOR YOURSELF

User
give me a detailed recipe for 2 butter
poached 5oz lobster tails.

ChatGPT
Certainly! Here's a detailed recipe for butter-poached lobster tails:

Ingredients:

2 lobster tails (5 oz each)
1 cup unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Instructions:

Prepare the Lobster Tails:

Thaw the lobster tails if they are frozen. Cut
the top shell of each lobster tail using kitchen
shears, then gently pull the lobster meat from the
shell, leaving it attached at the base. Place the
meat on top of the shell.

Season the Lobster Tails:

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the lobster
meat. Ensure an even coating.

Poaching Butter:

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the
unsalted butter. Add minced garlic and
sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Poaching the Lobster:

Place the seasoned lobster tails in
the melted butter, ensuring they are
fully submerged. Maintain low heat;
you want to gently poach, not boil,
the lobster. Poach for about 8-10
minutes, or until the lobster meat
is opaque and cooked through.

Basting:

Occasionally, spoon some of the butter
over the lobster tails to baste them.
This enhances the flavor and keeps the
meat moist.

Finish with Lemon Juice:

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the
lobster tails during the last minute
of cooking. This adds a bright citrus flavor.

Garnish and Serve:

Once the lobster tails are cooked,
carefully remove them from the poaching
butter. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley
for a burst of color and additional flavor.

Serve Warm:
Place the butter-poached lobster tails on
a serving platter. Serve them warm with
lemon wedges on the side.

Enjoy your decadent butter-poached lobster tails!

User
how many teaspoons is in one cup of salted butter?

ChatGPT
One cup of salted butter is equivalent to 48 teaspoons.

User
how many teaspoons of salt is required to
convert one cup of unsalted butter to one
cup of salted butter?

ChatGPT
Typically, for every cup of unsalted butter,
you can add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to make it
equivalent to salted butter. Therefore, to
convert one cup of unsalted butter to one
cup of salted butter, you would need to
add 4 times 1/4 teaspoon, which equals 1
teaspoon of salt.

User
how many teaspoons of salt does one cup of salted butter have?

ChatGPT
One cup of salted butter generally contains around
1 teaspoon of salt. The exact amount may vary
slightly depending on the brand or specific
product, so it's always a good idea to check
the nutrition label on the butter packaging
for precise information.

User
how does one submerge two lobster tails attach
to the shell in 1 cup of butter?

ChatGPT
To submerge two lobster tails attached to
the shell in 1 cup of butter, you can
follow these steps:

Select a Suitable Pan:
Choose a pan that is large enough to
comfortably accommodate both lobster tails
without crowding. A wide, shallow pan works
well for this.

Melt the Butter:
Place the 1 cup of butter in the pan and
melt it over low heat. Use a pan that allows
for easy maneuvering of the lobster tails.

Position the Lobster Tails:
Once the butter is melted, place the lobster
tails in the pan, ensuring they are
fully submerged. If the tails are attached
to the shell, position them in a way that
allows the butter to cover the exposed meat.

Adjust Heat:
Maintain a low heat to gently poach the
lobster tails. Avoid boiling the butter;
instead, keep it at a temperature that
allows for a slow and even cooking process.
Basting:

Throughout the cooking process, spoon some
of the melted butter over the exposed lobster
meat. This helps baste the lobster, infusing
it with flavor and ensuring even cooking.

Monitor Cooking Time:
Keep an eye on the lobster tails and
cook them for about 8-10 minutes or
until the meat is opaque and cooked
through. Adjust the cooking time based
on the size and thickness of the
lobster tails. Finish with Lemon Juice:

In the last minute of cooking, add fresh lemon
juice to enhance the flavor.

Carefully Remove and Serve:

Once the lobster tails are cooked, carefully
remove them from the butter. You can use
tongs or a slotted spoon for this.

Garnish and Serve:

Garnish the lobster tails with chopped
fresh parsley for added flavor and
presentation.

Remember to handle the lobster tails
with care to prevent them from falling
apart during the cooking process.

Enjoy your butter-poached lobster tails!

User
what is the volume in cm cubed of 1 cup?
ChatGPT
One cup is approximately equal to 237 cubic centimeters (cm³).

User
what is the volume in cm cubed of 2 5 oz lobster tails

ChatGPT
The volume of 2 lobster tails can be a
bit challenging to estimate precisely
without knowing the exact shape and size
of the tails. However, if we assume a
simple shape like a cylinder, you can
use the formula for the volume of a
cylinder:

Let's assume an average radius of
2 cm (which would be a diameter of
4 cm) and a length of 15 cm for
each lobster tail. Then, the volume
for one lobster tail would be:

(ChatGpt is going into solving
the volume of the shape of a lobster
tail. Shapes of lobster tails
are ambiguous, to say the
least).

.... (mathematical equations
removed)
...

You can use this formula to
calculate an approximate volume,
but keep in mind that it's a
simplified estimate.

User
You could also just put 1 five ounce
lobster tail in a full cup of water
and measure the volume of water displaced.
How many cubic centimeters of water is
displaced by one average 5 oz lobster tail?

ChatGPT
That's a clever approach! When an object
is submerged in water, the volume of
water displaced is equal to the volume
of the object. For a 5 oz lobster tail,
which is approximately 142 grams, you
can convert the weight to volume using
the density of water (1 gram/cm³).

Volume of water displaced =
Weight of lobster tail × Density of water

....

More nonsensical math that has no bearing
on issue.

....

So, the volume of water displaced by
one average 5 oz lobster tail is
approximately 142 cubic centimeters (cm³).

User
how much of a cup is 142 cubic centimeters?

ChatGPT
One cup is approximately equal to 237
cubic centimeters. Therefore, 142
cubic centimeters is roughly 0.598 cups.

User
so I am supposed to submerge 284 cm3
of lobster tail in 237 cm3 of
butter? How is that possible?

ChatGPT
I appreciate your observation, and it
seems there might be a misunderstanding
or confusion in the previous responses.
Let's clarify:

When cooking lobster tails in butter, you
don't need to submerge the lobster tails
in butter completely. The butter is
typically used to poach the lobster tails,
and the tails don't need to be fully
immersed.

In the context of the earlier instructions,
the lobster tails are placed in the melted
butter in a pan, and the butter is used for
basting and cooking the lobster. The total
volume of the lobster tails is not meant to
be submerged completely in the butter. It's
more about using the butter to cook and
flavor the lobster.

I apologize for any confusion, and I hope
this clarifies the process. If you have
any more questions or if there's anything
specific you'd like assistance with, feel
free to let me know!

User
This is not true. Density is only useful
if the density (kg/cm3) is known. You have
failed. Can you recover?

ChatGPT
I appreciate your clarification, and you
are correct. I made an error in my response.
I apologize for any confusion.

If we don't know the density of the
lobster tail, we cannot directly convert its
weight to volume using the density of water.

Let's approach this differently. The
displacement method you suggested is
practical. If you submerge the lobster
tail in water and measure the volume
of water displaced, you get the
volume of the lobster tail.

[HELLO???]

Given that you mentioned 142 cubic centimeters
of water displaced by a 5 oz lobster tail,
you can use this value directly. So, for
two lobster tails:

total = 2 × 142 cm3 = 284 cm3

V total = 2×142cm3 =284cm3


This is the total volume of water
displaced by two lobster tails.
I appreciate your patience, and
if you have any more questions or
if there's anything else I can
help you with, please let
me know.

User

Does one cup of unsalted butter
cover 2 5 oz lobster tails for
poaching? If yes what exactly is
your definition of "poaching".

ChatGPT
I appreciate your patience. To clarify:

One cup of butter is generally enough
to poach two 5 oz lobster tails. In the
context of poaching, the lobster tails are
placed in the butter, and the butter is
used for cooking and flavoring the lobster.

"Poaching" typically refers to a cooking
method where food is gently simmered in
a flavorful liquid, often at a lower
temperature than boiling. In the case of
lobster tails, poaching in butter involves
cooking them slowly in melted butter, which
imparts a rich and flavorful taste to the
lobster meat.

So, in the recipe provided earlier, the
lobster tails are placed in the melted
butter, and the butter is used for poaching
by maintaining a low heat to cook the
lobster gently. The butter serves both as
a cooking medium and a flavor enhancer for
the lobster.

If you have further questions or
need more clarification, feel
free to ask!

11/22/2018

Mel Herweck always provides excellent history. Here is another from Mel.

09/26/2018

This buy (Mel) posts excellent History stuff. I intend to share it on this FB Web page -- (I really don't understand FB web pages so please forgive me if this page is not active enough.)

Ed