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Cost of energy
independence declaration in 2005! What is needed?
A solar electric system, strong enough to provide electricity needs for a 1,200 sq. ft home using the most modern energy efficient appliances and lighting, figuring a 50% drop in energy consumption over a typical American household with no drop in comfort. A 50% drop or more in energy consumption is very practical in 2005 with off-the-shelf technology from efficient ACs and refrigerators to florescent lighting (an alternative energy enthusiasts will live frugally). Let us assume that upgrading all your appliances will cost $5,000 (not necessary, but it makes achieving energy independence easier). Also assume that your car, either plug-in hybrid or electric will be hooked into your home based solar system for its energy needs. Assume about 140 Kwh of consumption per month for home energy needs after upgrading to more efficient appliances and lighting and perhaps another 80 Kwh per month for automobile transportation needs. A 3 kw solar system for $21,000.00 to provide all the energy needs of 220 Kwh home (a home that didn't invest the $5,000 in energy efficiency would have to install a 5 kw solar system for $35,000.00 (which is why the $5,000 investment in more efficient appliance makes sense). A home-based solar system is another off-the-shelf technology currently available. Energy independent heating/cooling could be attained by either expanding the solar system to 4 kW to provide enough electric for electric heat in the winter or more reliably, by choosing geothermal. We'll assume most people would want to go the geothermal route, as it is much more reliable than the sun in wintertime. A 3 ton geothermal heat pump system would cost $18,000 for a 1,200 sq. ft. house. A geothermal heat pump system is another off-the-shelf technology. A plug-in hybrid running on ethanol for transportation. A modified plug-in Prius would add about $3,000 to the cost of the car. Ethanol is actually cheaper than gasoline now, so that would be a net cost savings overall for the little bit of hydrocarbons you needed to extend your trip. If you work and drive almost exclusively locally, then a full electric could be sufficient for your travel needs. Of course, in either case, the electric would be produced via your solar system independently of the power grid. So, let's add it all up: New energy efficient appliances: $5,000.00 A 3 kw Solar System for electric needs: $21,000.00 A 3 ton Geothermal Heating/Cooling system: $18,000.00 A Plug-In Hybrid: $3,000.00 Your full energy independence in 2005 can be achieved for $47,000.00. State and federal tax credits could reduce this cost some more. My state offers a 70% rebate for a solar installation. So, my 3 kw solar system would only cost $6,300. My state also provides a $4,500 rebate for a 3 ton geothermal system, so, going the geothermal route would cost $13,500. This would bring my overall energy independence costs down to $27,800. There you have it, a person living in an energy efficient 1,200 sq. ft. house in New Jersey in 2005 can go 100% energy independent with off-the-shelf technology for $27,800! Now, if we were serious about solving our energy problems, we would, as a society, provide massive subsidies at both the state and federal levels to move people towards energy independence and build demonstration projects to prove it can be done. It's all a matter of putting the pieces together as I demonstrated above. Someone pointed out to me that a cheaper alternative would be to buy green power from one of the many green power suppliers that provide renewable energy delivered from the grid and take it from there with everything else for renewable energy living, thus decreasing your capital costs for a solar system. But I wanted to frame this example as an example of grid-free 100% renewable living. How much it would cost in 2005. Can it be done for a reasonable cost? I say yes! The same cost of a sizable car payment. At my current utility and gasoline costs, it would take 10 years for such a system to pay for itself I guess you would need a new car within that ten year span, but energy prices will also be increasing over this time period (perhaps dramatically), more than offsetting the new plug-in hybrid cost (which could be cheaper and more available when it comes time to replace the car in five years). |
