Controlling our energy future

As the power shortage in California seemingly abates, consumers’ fear of electrical power outstripping supply is fast disappearing. Just the opposite should be the case. True, California’s problems are over for the present, yet their underlying shortcomings remain. Demand for electricity will continue to increase, and experts predict it will take decades to get the necessary infrastructure in place to permanently solve the problem.

Here in Maine we are assured that our electrical situation is stable, and yet just recently an agreement was reached to sell power out of the state (indeed out of New England) during peak usage periods to feed our more affluent neighbors to the South. As in California, we are deregulated. The crux of deregulation is simple; power companies will compete for our business, looking to turn a profit at the expense of all other factors. There are roughly 1.2 million people in Maine with the majority residing in the southern sector; admittedly, this is not a large market to interest outside power companies. Therefore, it follows that there will be very little incentive for new power companies to invest in Maine. This will eventually drive the cost for electricity up, not down, for with the ever increasing appetite for electronic gadgets, demand will most assuredly increase, as supply most likely will not.

What can be done? Surprisingly, we are not at the mercy of power companies. Maine has a new net metering law that can help mitigate our dependency on outside electrical consumption. What this law allows is for private homeowners to put up solar panels and funnel the electricity these panels generate directly back into the utility company’s grid. The consumer then buys power back from their power company for the same price that they generated it.

In addition to this equitable relationship, the consumer can have excess monthly power accrue to be credited toward their bill during less sunny months.

Take a minute to think what this means. Unlike photovoltaic systems that require expensive and labor intensive batteries to store the electricity, equipment to monitor the battery bank, DC wiring in the house, special appliances, and of course the scourge of modern America – energy conservation, net metering allows you to just send the power to the utility company; all you have to do is flick the switch, as you always have.

Of course the stand-alone battery system I have just described is the ultimate solution; most citizens do not have the time or interest to install a system that requires attention.

Net metering takes care of that. While it is much cheaper than installing a completely independent system, there is still cost involved. Exact numbers will vary from system to system; it is roughly double what you are currently (I stress currently) paying per kilowatt of power. The payback time for your initial investment should be just under ten years. This turns most homeowners off, as we live in a transient society and live in our homes for an average of under five years.

This obstacle is overcome by simply increasing the sale price of your home when you go to sell it. If the prospective buyers don’t see the value in your photovoltaic system, simply take it with you to your next home.

This is a modular system, and what can be assembled can surely be disassembled. As just stated, this is initial cost only and will eventually pay for itself, and after that the cost will be virtually nothing for every kilowatt you generate. I am talking current prices per kilowatt, and as already stated, the cost could well go up, not down in the future.

Photovoltaic systems can be started small and as you have more money, you can install additional panels so it is not necessary to do it all at once. An important concept here is the independence a system like this gives. Mainers pride themselves on independence and frugality. What could be more independent and in the long run extremely frugal than to start on the road to electrical independence?

For the price of a used car, you could invest in a proven technology that with net metering is virtually idiot proof.

Whoever you purchase the system from will design and point you in the direction of a competent contractor (if you don’t want to tackle it yourself). Will this system take care of all your electrical needs?

The only limiting factor is your energy use and the number of photovoltaic panels you install; but realistically given the amount of electricity most people use, the answer will be no. Even if this is the case, whatever power your system generates will lower your overall bill and as the cost per kilowatt from the power companies goes up, your savings will be even more substantial. The issue of environmental benefits hasn’t even been discussed (important though they are), for with net metering it now makes fiscal sense as well to invest in one of these systems.

Of course, the more people that invest in this technology will only serve to drive the price of the systems down, making them that much more sensible.

It really is not an issue of whether we are going to incorporate photovoltaics into our electrical portfolios, it is an issue of when.

Lawrence Wyman Jr. of Newport is a medical laboratory technician.