Aside from my own tendency to treat alternative energy like a hobby, there is an urgency to my shift away from fossil fuels. The IPCC report issued on August 7, 2021 (https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/) should give anyone pause. Not everyone can take action on their own. Upfront costs for adopting clean energy are a barrier for many, many families in Vermont. Further, individual efforts, like my own, are unlikely to have a measurable impact in and of themselves. We need a cooperative effort as Dr. Michael Mann, of hockey stick graph fame, articulates so well in The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet:
Individual efforts to reduce one’s carbon footprint are laudable. But without systemic change, we will not achieve the massive decarbonization of our economy that is necessary to avert catastrophic climate change. (Mann, The New Climate War, Ch4)
Every little bit helps, but systemic change that affects the large-scale methods of how we generate, transport, and use our energy are necessary. Systemic changes can come in a lot of flavors, and certainly, individual, local, and state level initiatives are all part of the solution. Upfront costs for solar and electrification are high for a large number of people, and even with incentives and rebates, the costs can put alternative energy out of mind for many families in Vermont. Also, thanks to the rampant politicization of every single thing, there are also likely a fair number of Vermonters who may not wish to adopt solar or other alternative energy efforts because of a perceived political association, regardless of the real benefits. Convincing those who could, but won’t is a difficult task that requires its own study, but how do we provide for those who would but can’t? How do we overcome the financial barriers to make sure folks who could really benefit from the reduced energy costs grid-tie solar and efficient heating and cooling can bring?
One method would be to simply give it away. A simple statement with a complicated mechanism no doubt, but it’s a strategy we’ve seen work in the very recent past. The state of Vermont has done fairly well, up to this point, with vaccinating people against COVID 19. There are a number of reasons for that, but I think a pretty big one is that nobody has had to pay to get vaccinated. If people had to pay up front, even if just a small amount, even if there was a refund available, I bet we’d see a much lower rate of vaccination not just in Vermont but across the Nation. In the same way, I think it’s time to move away from the rebate model for at least the lower economic third of the State. Instead of rebates, we pay the providers to install a photovoltaic array on every low income home, including a battery array and a heat pump. This combination would provide power and heat for folks that need it and would keep the lights and heat on when the grid goes down. It would also benefit the utilities by providing a distributed source of power during times of high demand.
Of course, nothing is free and funding for a significant number of solar/battery/heat pump arrays would need to come from somewhere. The refunds and rebates that are already commonplace in this space would certainly help, and could be directly applied, changing them from a rebate to a pre-bate model paid directly to the utilities and installers. Surcharges could be applied to installations for higher income homes like mine and commercial installations to make up the difference. We all need to pull together. Some installations across the economic spectrum could be considered utility-owned equipment. The reality of grid-tied equipment is that the end-user is largely the utility companies. Switching to a utility-owned model, where the solar panels and batteries in a residence are the property of the provider, would be a small step and may be attractive to users who do not have the resources to purchase or interest in maintaining their own power generation and storage. The increased production and efficiency over traditional fossil fuel solutions would provide utilities with flexibility that a traditional centralized grid would not, especially in remote areas where repairs can be difficult. The utility could, as they already do in the case of grid-tied battery arrays, control the ratio of energy storage and supply to the larger grid based on demand and the potential for inclement weather. This could be particularly useful in isolated communities during ice storms, wind storms, or summer heat that often puts vulnerable people in dangerous situations.
Further funding may be on the way from the Federal government. The famed bi-partisan infrastructure bill currently winding its way through Congress contains scant funding for energy efficiency and climate action, but there are some bright spots that indicate that further action may not be that far off. For instance, it does contain a small item providing funding for non-profits and houses of worship to install renewable energy solutions and increase their efficiency (Infrastructure bill includes energy efficiency grants for houses of worship. Shimron, Washington Post, 2021). The budget resolution being considered by the Senate, however, is where the real meat and ambition are being placed (As Senate passes infrastructure bill, Democrats eye opportunity for more energy spending. Plautz. Utility Dive, 2021). Multiple tax benefits, incentives, and rebates are being discussed, all of which could ppotentially make the initial cost of distributed installations more palatable to investors and utilities.
The climate is making itself heard over the noise of politics and disinformation, and we have already arrived at the time to act. We need, as a society, to find ways to overcome the inequities and roadblocks that have built up over time that keep people from taking action and benefiting from technologies that can really make a difference. Getting the economic lower third to a better place with how their homes are heated and lit is a good first step. With promised legislation, current technology, and creative application, we can make this a win for local utilities, local populations, the State, and the world.
