Is power baron viable in low player count games?

I've seen a few casts where a robotic player lands on silicon, throws down a few solar arrays ASAP, then manages the company on zero debt with power income.

I've tried to replicate it once, failed hard.

 

Obviously I should try more than once before making any judgement calls, however I am curious as to whether this is a viable strat in a 3/4 player game or you need to get up to 6-8 players to drive the power price up.

 

Is there any mechanic in the game to produce a similar level of pressure on life support regardless of the number of players in the game?