Problems with Clean Energy

As much as we dislike paying taxes, that's the cost of living in a civilized world.

Last week, I heard a piece on NPR about solar power. The teaser was that Pennsylvania regulators are putting a limit on how much power a homeowner can generate with solar panels.

"Why would we want to limit clean energy?" asked Vera Cole, the president of the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association.

Her question confused me. First, because the her name is Cole, which is, ironically, pronounced exactly like coal on the radio broadcast. And, second, it sounds like she has an obvious point. Her question sounds like someone (big oil) is overtly protecting their turf and power. But the truth is a little more complicated than that.

The bottom line is that Pennsylvania regulators want homeowners to generate no more than 110% of the power they need. The reason is that the excess power generated by homeowners is sold back to the power utility. The power companies aren't equipped to handled consuming power on a large scale. If too many people generate excess electricity then the power utility can't collect enough money to maintain a reliable electricity grid. Imagine if too many people, in too short of a time, generated more electricity than the power company could handle; to the point that the poorest of Pennsylvania homeowners, the ones who couldn't afford solar panels, couldn't afford electricity from the grid?

Utilities are highly regulated. Your local water or power company can't arbitrarily raise prices. They're not as nimble and flexible as, say, a high-tech company.

Cole's question does raise an important point. The power company does need to begin planning for redistributing electricity. Wouldn't be great if power companies became redistributors of electricity from private individuals, instead of coal-buring creators of it?

So, my point about taxes is that governments need to match up funds collected with expenses. This is important as we explore more energy alternatives. Taxes on gasoline are a big portion of the price we pay at the fuel pump. Those taxes go to repairing our roads. What happens when more and more people find alternatives to use fossil fuel powered cars? I'm not suggesting that we should slow the switch from gas to renewable, clean, energy. But, we need to think about alternative sources of tax revenue. I'm actually a fan of big government, but it has to be efficiently run by effective people.

Mariner 7 Foldable Electric Bicycle

Prodeco Mariner 7

Two years ago, I checked out my first foldable electric bike in Greenwich Village. I knew it was a matter of time before I bought one. That time arrived two weeks ago as I drove past the San Diego Electric Bike Company in Solana Beach. I made a U-turn, parked, and spent some time speaking with the company founder. Thirty minutes later I purchased a Prodeco Mariner 7 which began my love affair with e-bikes.

The Mariner 7 is a regular, foldable bike, with 20" tires that incorporate a front-wheel drive motor and battery. It easily folds up and fits in the trunk of my Honda Accord. The Florida based manufacturer advertises that the Mariner 7 will go 18 mph with a range of 25 – 35 miles. Of course, range and speed depend on my weight, terrain, and how much pedaling I do.

As the name implies, the Mariner 7 is intended for boat owners – it also works well for those who own planes and RVs. I can pedal it like any other eight-speed bike or use the throttle for some extra zip; or use both at the same time. Obviously, the less I use the motor, the further it'll go.

What I like about my e-bike is that I can ride it around San Diego without breaking a sweat while going up hills on warm days – and San Diego has its share of hills. My bike also draws a lot of attention. Two weeks ago I rode through Balboa Park and snapped some photos. Each time I stopped, people asked me questions about the bike.

Click to enlarge

The most interesting person to ask me about my bike was Rhonda. She seemed to know a bit about e-bikes when she asked me how I liked my Mariner 7. It turns out she and her husband have owned nine e-bikes and she knew all the San Diego e-bike companies and owners.

It's Rhonda's personal story that fascinated me. She used to weigh 457 pounds and lost more than 270 pounds over the past two and a half years. An impressive, transformational achievement.

Tesla, Model S

A single moving part: the rotor, compared to hundreds in a typical engine.

You can't unsee a Tesla once you've seen it – it's simply beautiful and elegant.

The Model S has a single moving part: the rotor, which is a powertrain tucked between the rear wheels. There are no belts, carburetors, catalytic converters, radiators, etc. With no engine to take up space, that frees up storage both under the hood and in the trunk.

The entire front panel is a touch screen with Internet access sans video.

The Model S starts at $70,000 and the one I sat in topped out around $114,000. The interior is simple in true minimalistic style. The dashboard has a single button to open the glove compartment and the rest of the controls are handled through a touch screen with Internet access.

The car can be fully recharged at home in about eight hours using a standard 240 volt outlet that powers a washer or dryer. A big selling point is that you can fully recharge your Tesla in about 45 minutes or less, for free – yes, free fuel for life – at any of the public Supercharger charging stations.

The battery is the vehicle's only Achilles heel. All batteries are expensive and heavy for the power they deliver. As a Marine supply and fiscal officer for an infantry battalion, the single biggest expense I'd budget for field exercises (maneuvers) were our batteries.

Nearly the entire chassis of the Tesla houses the battery and it has an eight year unlimited warranty (even if you brick it). It's nice that a full charge can take you more than 250 miles but batteries deteriorate over time. Even if a Tesla's battery lasts a dozen years, it'll have to eventually be replaced to the tune of $12,000. So, a Tesla's TCO isn't really saving money over a traditional internal combustion engine when looking at these detailed cost calculations, but it really helps the environment.

Until a more efficient source of mobile electricity is developed, electric cars will remain a premium luxury.