The Power of Our Power
If you’re reading this, you can probably thank a power plant.
Unless you’re completely off of the grid, you need consistent, reliable electricity to get your power. Most of that power comes from some pretty dirty sources, though.
A recent EPA report says that power plants contribute a little over 72% of the carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions nationwide. What does carbon dioxide-equivalent mean? It means greenhouse gasses. The “equivalent” part of that sentence is carbon monoxide, methane, and mercury. Most of these emissions are from traditional coal-fired plants. Coal is our largest source, with petroleum second.
Most of the raw product that we use for power here in Virginia comes from out of state. That means trucks and trains hauling in coal and oil and that means more exhaust and greenhouse gasses. Our state does have some coalmines, and a silver lining is that we use less coal than we produce, but that silver lining is kind of dingy. Coal mining is a dirty business and some methods destroy the beauty of our Commonwealth.
Pittsburgh has had a bad reputation for many years as a dirty city. When it was younger, it made a name for itself as a steel-producing town (Hello? “Steelers”?). The result of their industry was smog, polluted water, and sickness. Soot became so thick in the air that the city cut on the streetlights during the day so that people could see.
Pittsburgh has changed a great deal. Steel is no longer the driving force of their economy and they’ve spent a ton of money and energy to revitalize their waterfronts. Green spaces have sprouted up and they’ve invested heavily in luring companies like Google, which contribute jobs and taxes while eliminating pollutants.
Pittsburgh still has a problem, though. The American Lung Association ranked the worst cities in the nation for air pollution and the Steel City ranked third. How could this be? They’re still dealing with the effects of their history of industry, and guess what else? Geography. Pollution from coal-burning power plants in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois floats across Pennsylvania and gets trapped by the picturesque Allegheny Mountains that surround the city.
So what are our options? Can’t we invest more in cleaner energies and renewable sources?
A cleaner energy is nuclear. We get much of our power from our nuclear plants, like North Anna and Surry. Nuclear is clean and efficient, but it too has a price. There has been a great deal of disagreement over North Anna following our little earthquake, and they felt those rumbles up in Maryland, too. Keep in mind also that the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant of Maryland is just right up the Chesapeake Bay from Surry. When you look at what happened in Japan following their earthquake and tsunami it makes sense to be a tad nervous. Those of you in Central Virginia have a nice little nest of potential disaster to snuggle in.
Renewable means many things, like solar, wind, hydroelectric, and less commonly thought sources like wave energy. Hydroelectric is dams and lakes like Smith Mountain. That’s about 2% of our production. Other renewable sources, like wood and biomass are another 2%.
How about solar? Solar technology, while expanding by leaps and bounds, is still costly. There are also developments that need to be made in the retrieval and storage of the energy. You don’t get much juice on a cloudy day. Maybe our friend Bertrand Piccard could help us out?
Many are looking at wind for our future. Wind has risen to almost 2% of our energy supply across the nation, and it would be a great solution here. You don’t need a great deal of wind to generate electricity. You just need a consistent supply of it. The eastern half of our state is an easy drive to the ocean, and it’s always blowing there. When you cross the bridges on your way to the beach do you ever take a look around? You probably see sailboats in the Bay. That’s wind, baby!
We also have a great resource in the western areas of the state. The weather in our country moves from west to east, and the winds from the prairies run right across our beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. A few turbines on a few ridges could contribute some serious kilowatts!
The best place to start is right where you’re sitting.
Take an inventory of your energy usage right there at home. Do you leave a room with the light on? Are your devices humming away 24/7? Did you choose your appliances for their Energy Star ratings?
Many of you have chosen to invest in a little renewable on your own. As we drive around our state we see solar panels here, little turbines there. We’ve even met several fine folks who’ve invested a little in geo. If you dig a hole you’ll realize that the earth is cool in the summertime and warm in the winter. There are systems that will take advantage of that and use the earth’s temperature to heat and cool your home. We don’t live in Iceland, so it still uses energy to pump the air, but it is much more efficient and therefore uses less energy.
We suggest you unplug something. Realize the power of power. When you’re up on Old Rag, we hope that the vista is clear. When your toes are in the sand at False Cape, launch a kite and feel some wind. When you open the refrigerator in the middle of the night and the light comes on, don’t forget where that electricity came from!