#ElectricalPower #PowerGenerators #PowerSupplies #widlfires #CleanEnergy
If you are wondering what a transition in business looks like, check out electric power suppliers.
Transition, in this case, does not mean they will go out of business soon. Instead, the power suppliers are at a crossroads. They know that clean power – wind, solar etc. – is trending. The nation, and the world, wants to wean itself from electric power driven by fossil fuels.
On the other hand, power suppliers have an immediate need to generate more power, particularly in growing areas.
Therefore, since fossil fuels are here and available, they may have to bring more such plants online to accommodate near-term growth. Coincidentally, U.S. oil production is at record levels.
Electric vehicle use is increasing as well.
They require electric power, which has to be generated by power suppliers, to run.
Also, there is increasing need for data centers and other big power users.
Complicating matters further is climate change. Hot, dry areas are having more wildfires that can be sparked by power lines. And, there are areas in which big storms are more frequent, knocking out power more often.
And, of course, many communities are addressing housing shortages. Solutions here require more power to those residences.
This all begs the question: what are those whose business is generating electrical power to do to accommodate immediate and long-term needs while also trying to be good corporate citizens?
As residents, we usually only think about our power companies and utilities when bills rise, or the power goes out.
When things are running smoothly, which is every power generator’s goal, users merely plug in and don’t think about it.
Many of these power generators are overseen by agencies looking to make sure their profits are not excessive and customer bills are as reasonable as they can be etc.
As the power generators and overseers think about the future, they have to find that elusive sweet spot among not being overly dependent on fossil fuels, looking to the clean energy future, protecting a fragile environment from accidental sparks and providing safe, abundant power at a reasonable price.
While it may be tough for citizens to have sympathy for power companies, those companies are indeed in a tough spot.
Some have resorted to adding nuclear power. But that has its own potential dangers, not to mention the problem of disposing the radioactive waste.
Nuclear power is indeed clean, until a reactor melts down.
What should a consumer do? First, if a person is thinking about purchasing an electric car, he or she should first determine how he or she will use it. Rapid charging stations are not readily available everywhere, so you may need a hybrid or gasoline-fueled vehicle for longer trips.
If you live in an area susceptible to drought and wildfires, know where your power lines are and try to live away from them.
Also, the next time you read about the rock and hard place some power generators are in today, know that very likely, they are agonizing over this. You don’t necessarily have to have sympathy for them – power executives get paid generously for their agony.
But, know that they are facing very complicated circumstances. Innovators are working hard trying to find the sweet spot(s) in power generation.
Still, feel free to plug in and hope everything works out.
Peter
Tag Archives: clean energy
TRANSITIONS CAN BE HARD AND MESSY
#transitions #energy #CleanEnergy #FuelPrices #gasoline #ElectricCars
Transitions can be hard.
But, many must be gradual. Otherwise, they get messy.
Take energy. We are in transition from primarily burning fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives.
Trouble is, one cannot flip a switch – yet – and go from one to another.
When we move too quickly to change, we have the mess we have today. We are urging oil-producing countries to pump more oil to bring down prices, while we are urging energy users to move toward cleaner alternatives.
Again, transitions can be messy.
We can’t go to all-electric cars on a wide scale, without having the ability to charge them quickly mid-trip.
Currently, you can drive X miles in your electric car, then you have to recharge it.
That’s fine driving around town. Once your charge gets low, you can go home, plug your charger into your engine, let it sit overnight and it will be charged by morning.
To take that same car on a long trip requires having rapid-charging stations as abundant, or nearly so, as gasoline stations. One can’t afford to wait multiple hours to recharge a car mid-trip. That hasn’t happened yet, but it will.
Here’s another rub. Many states’ and countries’ economies depend largely on fossil fuel production. It won’t be easy for them to transition to clean energy, or some other form of economic prosperity.
Energy consumption in general went down during the pandemic, so fossil-fuel producers produced less. Now they are being asked to ramp up production as the post-pandemic economy starts to bounce back. The result: energy prices are rising. Do they produce more of the dirty stuff, only to have demand drop – again – as the economy ramps up and cleaner energy conversions take place? They have tough decisions all around.
All this begs the question: are you in transition now? Did your job go away during the pandemic, and now your employer wants you back, but you are not sure you want to go back?
When you lost your job, did you find a better one? Are you still looking?
If you are still looking, and don’t want to go back to the job you lost, know that there are many programs out there that can enable you to earn a potentially great income. You could even go back to your old job, if it’s still there, and do something new part time in your off-work hours. That could allow you to quit your old job sooner rather than later.
No specific education, experience or background is required for these programs. You just have to be willing to look at something you may have thought you would never do.
To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
Transitions, be they societal, economic or personal, can be messy. But, in most cases, the reward on the other end is a better life for you, and, potentially, many others.
You should not look at these transitions as losses, though sacrifice is usually required. You should look at them as if you were participating in a sport. Games have their ups and downs, but they eventually end. Though we all want to be on the winning end, there will be some losses for everyone.
You need to have the grit within you to see the positives of transitional outcomes and work toward them.
Peter