Responsible citizens worldwide are showing increased frustration at the slow rate of renewable energy roll out. Moreover, there are several reasons behind the delay. These include vested interests in coal and gasoline lobbies, and sheer inertia of government to implement meaningful change. Should citizens therefore manage their own electricity to speed up the process?
Should Citizens Manage Their Own Electricity Supply?
Residential energy consumption in United States accounts for 11.3% of total usage according to U.S. Energy Information. Converting this to renewable energy would therefore be a worthwhile start. However, inertia inevitably ensures the future is partly the same as the past. So do we need a major incentive for this to happen?
That major incentive may be building in South Africa according to Creamer Media’s Engineering News on May 24, 2022. That’s because they suggest the following factors may see more South African citizens managing their own electricity soon.
- Aging coal-fired power stations approaching decommissioning phase.
- Steadily increasing coal and gas prices due to conflict in Ukraine.
- A shortage of state capital to commission new generating units.
- Reticence by the state power utility to admit commercial competition
An Open Opportunity for Home Owners to DIY
Creamer Media’s Engineering News suggests this is an opportunity for middle-class home owners to generate 80% of own energy needs. Because they would then only need to look to the national utility on cloudy days. But this should not be an insurmountable issue for a country with a high sunshine factor.
This then opens the possibility of a dual energy economy emerging. United States electricity transmission and distribution load losses amount to approximately 5% according to U.S. Energy Information. Just imagine how much energy utilities waste around the world!
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Article in Creamer Media’s Engineering News
