Unabashed

                                                                               Photo by stormygirl

I’ve been looking into converting my home to solar power and, believe it or not, the subject has become depressing. Faced with power bills in the $300+ range, I thought a little investment up front might serve me well in years to come. Scratch that: a photovoltaic (solar panel) power source for a house the size of mine would cost nearly, if not over, $100k. Too bad I’m not in California, where the state government offers incentives as much as 50% for folks switching to solar power. For a $30k to $50k investment I can definitely see long-term advantages, especially when you consider the day you finally pay off the loan, and your power bill is nil. But for $100k, it would take longer than the proposed life of the product to break even, making it, unfortunately, a very, very bad sell. No matter what my carbon footprint is, I simply can’t afford to do it.

One article I came across in USA Today does give a little hope in coming years, however:

The outlook for solar, though, is getting much brighter. A few dozen companies say advances in technology will let them halve the price of solar-panel installations in as little as three years. By 2014, solar-system prices will be competitive with conventional electricity when energy savings are figured in, Deutsche Bank (DB) says. And that’s without government incentives.

If that happens, solar panels would become common home and business appliances, says Brandon Owens of Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

The infuriating part of all this is that there’s little or no hope of Alabama ever offering any incentives. Alabama Power is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, employer in the state, and they have a powerful lobbying network set up to ensure Alabama stays firmly attached to the grid. The “open-door policy” of the governor’s office, which is firmly closed, won’t give a guy like me an ounce of attention, so without a lobbying network it’s pretty certain that things are not going to change. I understand it, but that doesn’t mean I like it very much.

I long for a future where citizens can be self-sufficient and still comfortable. I want the best of both worlds, yes, to cut myself off from the grid but to enjoy all the benefits of being on the grid. Well, one thing’s for certain, despite the desire of corporate America to keep movements like this in check, it’s already got grass-root momentum, and the technology is advancing. I just have to bide my time. You’re on notice, Alabama Power, I’m actively looking to unplug from the grid.

In other green-living arenas, I’m also looking into a system that will allow me to re-utilize my shed gray water for toilet flushing and watering the garden/lawn, and maybe a rainwater collection system for the same. With global warming and drought conditions in the South, It’d be nice to know I had a water reserve that could keep me going for at least a little while should times get tough.

Also, I’ve got an old lawnmower that I hear will make a good generator for emergencies with only a small investment.

written by Matt Mitchell