The (actual) Beginning

I heard it was hard to write a blog. So now three and one-half years later I am starting post two and finally making the blog public. That little boy in my profile pic, as well as a bit of world travel have kept me busy.

I have a tattoo of a Chinese compass which was meant to remind me to balance all things in my life. Sometimes that is the greatest challenge I have. After almost three years of travel I am finally able to concentrate on myself, my family, and the possibility of starting a new business. My own company would allow me to grow a part of me that is lacking in the work I am now doing. While engineering can be creative, the artistic side is lacking. I need some more balance.

On the radio this morning I heard a story about how power reserves went below expected levels during higher than usual demand. Houston area officials asked for voluntary power usage reductions on Monday from industrial and residental customers from 3-7 pm. This is all caused by high temperatures, a drought and a possible shortfall in the energy system. The shortfall I am talking about is the growing consumption of power caused by the effects of consumer appetite for electrical appliances and global warming. OK, sorry for the liberal rant, but it's not all false.

The US EIA reported that while energy efficiency standards have reduced the amount of energy used in homes, the share of energy used by residential customers has doubled. This concerns me because the trend in energy resources seems to continue to favor corporations holding the reigns. The installed price per kW of residential solar just keeps dropping and yet the incentives from providers disappear daily. The responsibility of electricity generation can be shared by the consumer but the incentives need to be greater.

The past incentive programs have not been popular with consumers because more money is coming out of their immediate cash reserves. Requiring builders to include energy saving devices such as solar panels and on demand water heaters would create more jobs in manufacturing and service sectors and allow the consumer to spread the cost out over the life of the home. Incentives can be shared with the builders while creating jobs.

I don't profess to have the answers here, I just want to be one more advocate for cleaner energy for everyone. This type of energy is so accessible now that it would be a shame to delay moving to a greener economy.