“Yo! Guys!” Telly called out. “Huh? You talking to us?” the Oaks boys, Red and Whitey yelled back. “Yeah you guys,” Telly Foneline replied. “I hear there’s a big storm coming. You gonna be tossing your branches on top of me and knocking me over like Wally Nutt did last year?”
“Maybe??” Red Oaks replied sheepishly. “The utility guys haven’t come through to trim us back for a long time. So…sorry, but a few of my creaky old limbs might fall your way.”
“Jeez,” Telly moaned. “That’ll knock out the power line above me too! There’s a better way you know. I eavesdropped on a conversation between the Green Mountain Power company guys in Vermont and one of our linemen. Get this!”
Telly went on to explain how hurricanes, winter storms and wildfires have pointed out the growing vulnerability of electric grids in recent years, and that’s expensive. The result is electricity rates nationwide increased about 25 percent in the last five years. They’re expected to continue to rise sharply as utilities strengthen the grid and build new renewable energy projects.
So Green Mountain Power ran the numbers and got clever. They plan to distribute television-size batteries to customers to shield them from power outages. Giving away batteries will be less expensive than the upgrades and storm damage repairs caused by more frequent severe storms.
“We’re completely flipping the (energy distribution) model, decentralizing it,” Mari McClure, Green Mountain’s chief executive explained. A research firm found that utilities could save up to $35 billion a year if they invested in smaller-scale energy projects. Home batteries and rooftop solar panels can be built and installed more easily and quickly than upgrading or expanding the grid.
“Yup,” reflected Telly, “when cell phone technology took off, I knew my days were numbered. Land lines will soon be a thing of the past. Similarly today, small-scale distributed energy technology can provide reliable energy at a lower cost in many situations. The old model of energy generation and distribution is rapidly evolving into a less expensive, cleaner
arrangement.”
“Hey, get this!” Red Oaks jumped in. “The baseball season is over, but so what? It’s still time to Battery Up! Clever humans will soon realize this is an opportunity for a brighter future right here where they’re all forever… Earthbound.”
“Maybe??” Red Oaks replied sheepishly. “The utility guys haven’t come through to trim us back for a long time. So…sorry, but a few of my creaky old limbs might fall your way.”
“Jeez,” Telly moaned. “That’ll knock out the power line above me too! There’s a better way you know. I eavesdropped on a conversation between the Green Mountain Power company guys in Vermont and one of our linemen. Get this!”
Telly went on to explain how hurricanes, winter storms and wildfires have pointed out the growing vulnerability of electric grids in recent years, and that’s expensive. The result is electricity rates nationwide increased about 25 percent in the last five years. They’re expected to continue to rise sharply as utilities strengthen the grid and build new renewable energy projects.
So Green Mountain Power ran the numbers and got clever. They plan to distribute television-size batteries to customers to shield them from power outages. Giving away batteries will be less expensive than the upgrades and storm damage repairs caused by more frequent severe storms.
“We’re completely flipping the (energy distribution) model, decentralizing it,” Mari McClure, Green Mountain’s chief executive explained. A research firm found that utilities could save up to $35 billion a year if they invested in smaller-scale energy projects. Home batteries and rooftop solar panels can be built and installed more easily and quickly than upgrading or expanding the grid.
“Yup,” reflected Telly, “when cell phone technology took off, I knew my days were numbered. Land lines will soon be a thing of the past. Similarly today, small-scale distributed energy technology can provide reliable energy at a lower cost in many situations. The old model of energy generation and distribution is rapidly evolving into a less expensive, cleaner
arrangement.”
“Hey, get this!” Red Oaks jumped in. “The baseball season is over, but so what? It’s still time to Battery Up! Clever humans will soon realize this is an opportunity for a brighter future right here where they’re all forever… Earthbound.”
- Thanks to Ivan Penn for quote and details.
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