Almost daily I read or view something about the change from carbon-based fuels to electricity for transportation. I know I have discussed this before but it is turning into a booming industry with major implications for everyone and especially for Kern County, which receives much of its tax revenue and employment from petroleum.
As I have previously noted, much of this news involves the switch from cars powered by internal combustion engines to vehicles powered by what people once called “juice.”
Our governor’s proclamation that only electric powered vehicles may be sold in California after 2035, which put a lot of folks here in Kern County in a tizzy, is becoming redundant as car maker after car maker is promising to be all-electric five years sooner.
One of the issues in this transformation is the slow adoption of electric vehicles by American motorists compared to drivers in other nations, especially China, one of the world’s largest car markets.
That issue will be resolved as more and more of these vehicles come to market, slowly but surely replacing internal combustion engines vehicles.
Charging stations
One issue involves charging stations. While people in single-family dwellings can charge at home, that can be a problem if you live in multi-family housing.
That’s an interim problem, which will go away when vehicle batteries will be charged by solar panels mounted on their roofs.
Someone recently noted that one of the advantages of electric cars is that they can be charged at home, while we are eating, are working and are shopping.
No more visits to gas stations, which leave our hands smelling of gasoline or diesel, and expose us to disease.
Battery charging is also becoming faster.
Home power
One of the fastest ways to experience the advantages and savings from power from the sun is to install solar panels on homes, which we did several years ago to slash the annual cost of cooling our home in desert summers.
It has been a big success.
A side benefit occurred a couple years ago when we had a leak in our home’s natural gas line.
My plumber was reluctant to crawl under the house to find the leak, so we shut off part of the line leaving just the water heater and home heating connected.
Cooking with electricity is cheaper and faster and I plan to replace my aging water heater with an electric unit. We had one when we lived in Golden Hills in the late seventies, which worked well but was expensive in those pre-solar panel years.
The price of solar panels is dropping like everything does as more people install them.
Home heating is a big deal and at my advanced age probably will not happen in my home.
My detached garage has a huge gas heater that once warmed the mechanics at Kieffe and Sons Ford. Since I rarely used the thing it is not missed, especially the cost of running the beast and its pilot light in winter. It was so big I never did run it full blast.
Change inevitable
Change is the way of the world and, unfortunately, difficult for some folks to accept. Sadly, the three largest electric utilities in California are trying to make solar power more expensive for users since it’s cutting into their profits.
They want us to help pay for infrastructure which we will eventually not need when the switch to solar is complete.
Which will be fine with me, because Southern California Edison’s power shuts down several times a year, as did our power when we lived in Northern Virginia.
My answer to the question of what happens when the sun doesn’t shine is the one I gave a man asked me how Mojave’s solar-powered street lights operate when the sun isn’t shining.
Batteries.
Texas power frozen out
Since we hear so much about how better life is in Texas, it was interesting to read about their recent weather debacle.
Texas was simply not ready to handle a cold snap, and utilities froze all over that big state.
Including wind turbines, which prompted enemies of renewable energy to say “I told you so.”
My first question was why wind turbines keep turning in our area, which gets chilly in winter and occasionally it snows, especially between Mojave and Tehachapi, where many of the area’s wind turbines are located.
I called Linda Parker of Bakersfield, who has been representing the local renewable industry for years.
She noted that local wind turbines have been weatherized since they were first installed back in the early 1980s.
Texans also had problems with water lines and other utilities freezing, and could not obtain power from neighboring states because they, unlike California and most other states, does not participate in regional power grids.
That decision was made to supposedly “protect Texas from the federal government,” which regulates interstate power grids.
They apparently didn’t consider being shut down by Mother Nature.
By the way, some folks used the electricity in their electric car batteries to partially power their homes during the freeze-out.
Texas, by the way, has the largest number of wind turbines of any state, even more than California.
And apparently none of them are weatherized.
"electric" - Google News
April 04, 2021 at 06:00PM
https://ift.tt/3sT4ef5
Electric power change is blowing (unfrozen) in wind - Antelope Valley Press
"electric" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2yk35WT
https://ift.tt/2YsSbsy
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Electric power change is blowing (unfrozen) in wind - Antelope Valley Press"
Post a Comment