What will you do when your area runs out of electricity? - Preparing for Future Electricity Demands

Ignoring the title question is like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand when attacked by wild dogs. Guess which part of the anatomy gets bitten first? So it could be with us, if we all ignore the facts when it comes to getting electricity to our homes and businesses.

Electricity users throughout the United States and Canada are being ostriches unless they actively ask their elected Representatives to deal with the question, “how can we power the future without destroying the planet or making electricity a luxury few can afford”.

“Summer peak demand in the U.S. is forecast to increase over 135,000 MW or 17.7 percent in the next ten years with committed resources projected to increase 77,000 MW or 8.4 percent
(including uncommitted resources, 123,000 MW or 12.7 percent).” Source: NERC 2007 Long-Term Reliability Assessment

No matter which study or forecast you review, the answer comes out the same. We will not have enough electric power to meet our needs in as little as two years, if our current (pun intended) behavior doesn’t change. It the NERC assessment is correct we will have 5 percent less electricity than we need when 2018 arrives in less than ten years.

Don’t be an ostrich, take action. If you are a member of a rural electric cooperative your supplier belongs to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. They created a website that makes it easy for anyone to contact their elected representatives. I did it in about five minutes and you can do it too.

Go to https://www.ourenergy.coop and after reading that page, scroll down to the line that says "Contact your electric officials and begin the dialogue now". When you click the arrow at the end of this line, you will be asked to fill out your name and address to email your US Senators and US House of Representatives with the following message:

Our country faces a crisis as electricity use increases faster than available supply. I believe that by unleashing American ingenuity we can solve this problem. What are you doing to speed the development of new technology which will allow me to have the electric power I need while meeting our national climate policy goals? I look forward to your answer and will share it with my friends and neighbors. Thank you.

Then click “Send Message”, that’s it. You don’t even have to know who your representatives are. By filling in your name and address your message will automatically be sent to the correct representatives and you will get a brief confirming message listing which representatives were emailed on your behalf. It’s easy.

Let me know who it went and what you think about it.

© Mark Daily, 2008