The Locavolt Movement: Homegrown Green Energy
[image via Gaetan Lee]
There was a fantastic article by Peter Asmus in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle about a new movement towards alternative energy. It talks about people who are tired of rising oil and natural gas prices and of their effect on our environment. Rather than waiting for utility companies to come around, these folks are opting to generate their own energy using sources like solar power, small wind turbines and electric cars that give back to the grid.
You’ve heard of the locavore. Well, it’s time to meet the “locavolts!”
In places like the Bay Area, this movement is really starting to take hold, with talks about legislation that would allow local governments to choose their power sources. According to the article, “in Marin County, for example, the long-term goal is 100 percent renewable energy.” With the dropping price of solar panels and things like vehicle to grid technology, relying on home-grown energy is definitely more feasible than it was even a few years ago.
Of course, locavolt life has its tough side. During times of year when there is less sun or wind energy to collect, power stores might run low. We have a ways to go, but Asmus seems optimistic:
If truth be known, the technology is now available to secure up to 40 percent of our electricity from local, distributed renewable energy sources like wind and sun, if we stay connected and get creative with storage from batteries, cars and maybe fuel cells. Something tells me the locavolts are on to something big.
Forty percent sounds like a pretty great start! With so much new technology, these micro-grids could become even more effective means for off-the-grid living.
- 2007 Word of the Year: Locavore!
- U.S. Could Get Ten Million Solar Roofs in Ten Years
- The “Unlimited” Potential of American Wind Power: AWEA
