(The Urgency of addressing climate change: Understanding the sudden shift in priority.)

Remember the 1990’s? Climate change was a new topic and hotly contested due to a lack of comprehensive data. It was a time where the priority was the economy, which overshadowed environmental concerns. 

Throughout the decades, awareness grew incrementally, driven by scientific advancements, reporting, policy developments, and visible climate changes, such as hurricane Katrina, and the wildfires of 2017. 

Now the clear and visible impacts, such as severe wildfires, floods, and heatwaves solidify public concern. Throughout the halls of power, even though there is now a forming consensus that climate change is a serious issue. There is much debate on the actions that should be taken to address it. 

One solution the free market has given us is solar and battery storage systems. Spurred by a federal tax credit of 30% SEIA forecasts that solar installations in the U.S will double to 10 million by 2030 and triple to 15 million by 2034. Bare in mind solar was not offered as a viable solution until 2012. So it is an option that has recently caught on but it is spreading like a wildfire.

Solar is a good option for many people. It cuts electric bills, locks in rates, gives them backup options, and reduces the amount of fossil fuels that need to be consumed. Why is this? 

Are there public benefits that we are unaware of? Is it really a better option than what we are currently using? How does it leave us better off?

Best way to delve into these questions. Regurgitate the door to door pitch we learn as Solar Salesman, then ask people in the know, whether they are climate scientists or policy makers.

How accurate are the claims?

As solar salesmen we are told that ever since the fires of 2017, california has been dismantling power plants, and that mean’s our utility companies have fewer places to purchase their electricity from and that is pushing our utility companies to purchase power from out of state and that is driving up the rate of our electricity. 

For people looking to find evidence to support their claim.  Just log into your pge, account and view your delivery fee’s today and compare them to what they were in 2014.

Were told the grid we rely on today was built during WW2 and could cost as much as 30 billion to update. 

Let alone 74% of current power plants rely on fossil fuels which the scientific community at large believes are finite and will eventually deplete. So even if PG&E is able to update their infrastructure, their resources will get incrementally more scarce every year.

Lets not forget who will be on the hook to pay for these updates. The utility company rate payer. That’s right fellas. Unless you actively opt out. Your utility rates will likely double every 3 years. 

This is where most of the savvy homeowners we speak with start to ask. 

 

Great but where does solar fit? 

Does it give us more advantages than a minor rate cut & predictable rates?

What solution does solar contribute to?

 

Great questions.

 

Answer is the Virtual Power Network. A system where every structure in California is covered in Solar Panels and paired with a battery. Each structure is still connected to the grid, and if some are using more electricity than others. Smart batteries will transfer electricity through the local grid to those who need it. 

 

Sounds simple but the impacts are quite large. Now much less electricity is needed because it is created where it is used, and doesn't have to travel great distances between where it is made and where it is being consumed.  

 

Risk of fire is reduced because those high voltage lines that carry the electricity across vast expanses of wilderness are no longer needed. 

If this is true then it would be a solution worth investing in. But how can you know? I ask any policy makers or climate scientists in the know to leave comments below.  Point us in the direction of uncovering what is true and what is false.