Columnists
Fire up them generators
As I sit here, on my side porch tapping away on my arthritic laptop, I wonder if I might be hard-of-learning when it comes to our dependence upon fossil fuels? In my mind’s eye my computer power cord is snaking its way below ground to a power grid near a crude oil field in the middle of the prairies. Sometimes I comfort myself with the thought that we couldn’t possibly run out of fossil fuel in my lifetime. Which isn’t very “forward thinking” of me. I don’t have a wind turbine in my back garden nor do I have solar panels on my roof to plug anything into. Although, I suppose I could have one or the other installed or, perhaps, get an exer-cycle and hook it up to a generator to pedal my words out. In the big picture, we seem to be heading back into the dark ages—pun intended. I suppose I want to know why other countries have found a way to make wind energy a viable source of electricity, seemingly without so much fuss. And I want to know why haven’t we embraced it yet. I know Canada is “up there” in the production of power by wind, but why aren’t we doing more to make it happen in this community? How did a big, heartless corporation manage to stomp into the County and, at our expense, tell us how things should be done and done in the most invasive manner?
I suppose I, could buy a small solar charger, of sorts, for my small appliances and gadgets. Solar energy is a fairly viable source of renewable energy production and I don’t need an acre of panels to fire up my computer and my cell phone. However, like wind energy production, to provide for the needs of a community the size of Prince Edward County, the physical footprint would be enormous and the consistency of the output would be a bit sketchy. We all know the likelihood of wind speed being constant is what prevents the production of the same amount of power from day to day. And we’d be fools to think the sun will shine every, single day. Maybe the problem is we’ve become used to “on demand” everything, including power, and we can hardly imagine not having as much as we want, when we want it. I know fossil fuel based energy generation is about 25 per cent more efficient than renewable sources like wind and solar, but we can’t continue burning up our environment the way we have been just because we can. We aren’t happy with fossil fuels. We certainly aren’t happy with wind power generators. We don’t want every inch of farmland covered in solar panels. Is it time to make power production more personal?
I’m smart enough to know that wind turbines, such as the ones being installed in the County, are not the answer to our energy consumption or needs. The last time I picked on this particular scab I learned a lot from readers, people far more knowledgeable on this topic. And I know I’m not smart enough to be the person who marches into the lobby of our local government to demand future changes in our building codes. It may be time to build smarter homes. Perhaps, in the not too distant future, new builds should be much, much more energy efficient. LOML and I often talk about building a home that would include energy production systems suitable to power the entire house. A place with all the bells and whistles, or panels and blades. When we sit down to cost it all out, we shake our heads, sit in the dark and contemplate cooking dinner in a homemade solar oven—you know, the kind you made in camp. Yeah, that’s the ticket, camping, Survivor style.
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