Consuming energy

There have been some cloudy days so far in March, but the solar array on our house has produced more electricity than we have consumed. This means we will have gone an entire year without paying more than the meter connect charge when we reach the end of the next billing cycle. Our solar system produces more electricity than we need but does not make it when required. We have plenty of electricity during the day for much of the year, but we also use electricity at night. And during the darkest winter months, we do not produce as much electricity as we consume. Our system is based on our connection to the electric grid and net metering arrangement with our power company. We are using the grid as a battery for our system. Adding a battery system to our home would be relatively easy if we are talking about powering our house during the night during the spring, summer, and autumn months. There are electric vehicles with enough battery capacity to power our home overnight and charge during the day. There are also portable and permanently installed battery systems sufficient for our use. However, with currently available technology, having enough battery backup to get us through the winter months is not practical. For now, our connection to the grid works best for us.

However, we are considering installing a small battery backup system, which would power our home for two or three days in the event of a grid failure. This would also allow us to install a switch on our system that would prevent back-charging the grid in the event of a power failure. As it is now, in the event of a grid failure, we lose our electricity just like homes that do not have solar systems. We cannot use the electricity we are generating because we lack a system that automatically disconnects us from the grid in case of a power failure.

The electricity at our home from the utility has been remarkably reliable. We are connected to a very robust portion of the grid. An aluminum plant is no longer operated just a few miles from our house. Our area has excess available capacity because it used an enormous amount of electricity when fully functioning. However, a few minor earthquakes have gotten me to consider a battery system for our home. In the past month, our area has seen seven earthquakes with a magnitude above 2.5, including one that was 4.5. It was the strongest earthquake in the past five years. In 2001, the area endured a 6.8 quake. The Cascadia Subduction Zone is reportedly capable of producing a 9.0 quake. However, no known way exists to predict when a major quake will occur. Seismologists assure us that small earthquakes are not signs that a major quake will follow. They say that the earthquakes we have experienced in the past month are normal and do not affect the chances of a larger quake.

There are, however, a lot of events around the world that remind us that our electric grid is vulnerable to several possible threats. In Australia, communities in southeast Queensland and New South Wales are recovering from a storm that caused flooding and knocked down power lines. Hundreds of thousands remain without power from a cyclone that struck their area. The storm was weaker when it made landfall near Brisbane, but damaging winds were strong enough to create significant disruptions in the electric grid. One report said that 290,000 properties were without power. Blackouts could persist for days as crews scramble to restore power.

The Israeli government ordered all electricity supplied to Gaza to be cut off worldwide. This poses an immediate crisis for those remaining in the area, as most drinking water comes from desalination plants that require electricity. A blackout not only leaves people without power but potentially without drinking water as well.

Less dramatic but closer to home, our neighbors in Point Roberts are wondering what will happen to their electricity bills in the tit for tat tariff dispute between the U.S. and Canada. Although the tariffs are temporarily delayed, the threat remains that they will be imposed. If the threatened 25% tariff goes into effect, it means an automatic 25% increase in the cost of electricity for the residents of Point Roberts. Although they live in the U.S., they have no choice but to buy their electricity from Canadian utilities. The same applies to water, sewer, and Internet services for Point Roberts residents.

People throughout the western United States have had access to reliable power systems for less than a century. As the U.S. emerged from the Great Depression of the 1930s, rural electrification projects brought electricity to small towns and rural areas. This has been managed by a system of utilities that operate as monopolies with some supervision under the Public Utilities Commissions of the states. The Grand Coulee Dam, constructed between 1933 and 1942, provides 6,809 megawatts of power in our region. That energy was brought directly into our area over high voltage transmission lines to power aluminum manufacturing necessary to the United States war effort during World War II.

We live in uncertain times, but that does not necessarily mean we should consider disconnecting from the grid. We are a part of a community. As our system now operates, the excess electricity that our system produces goes to our most immediate neighbors. While they have to pay the power company for that electricity, it seems crucial that we remain connected. We want to be able to help our neighbors and contribute to their needs being met. Thinking about a battery backup system is an interesting mental exercise, but so far, we are fortunate. Unlike folks in other parts of the world, we are lucky to have the option of thinking of multiple possibilities. We’ll try to keep ourselves informed and aware of changing technologies and options as we seek to be efficient in our consumption and aware of the needs of our neighbors.

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