My Interview With Mom About Clean Energy

 

Me: I am Nicholas Perna, and today I will be interviewing my Mom about the merits of clean energy, and whether or not it’s economically feasible for us.
Me: First question. What are your thoughts on the electricity you use now?

Mom: It’s the only thing that’s available.  Honestly it’s a ripoff.  I pay way too much money for the small house I have.  No pool, no outdoor structures. 

Me: What are your hang ups on switching?

Mom: I don’t know if I should switch, because I don’t know if it’s a scam or not.  First there are incentives, but then some people like it, and others call it a scam.

Me: Of all the sources of cleaner electricity, which one would you consider switching to?

Mom: It would be solar if I switched.

Me: What makes solar the preferable option?

Mom: It's the only practical option for me, and the most readily available.

Unfortunately, this is correct. We don't live close enough to a nuclear power plant, or hydro generator to get electricity from those sources, and wind power has some complications we'll get to later

Me: Here's what I know about Solar Panels. You pay an upfront cost, and then you get a cheaper monthly bill. Let me research an estimate for the costs

Me: There's an upfront cost of $314 followed by $51 a month.

Mom: Even with my electric bill saved, I still have to pay to have Solar.  If my roof takes damage, I’m now going to have to consider the extra cost for repairing my roof while accounting for the panels. There's also the age of the roof to consider. If my roof is too old, I have to buy a new roof, on top of these solar panels.

Me: Well, solar panels are a no go, unless we can be completely convinced they're worth that upfront cost. what about wind power.

I researched Wind Panels.

Me: Apparently, wind panels are part of Atlantic City Electric, so we're technically already using them, and can't switch. Let's look at the positives.

Mom: I spend hundreds of dollars on the electricity bill. I spend more than Aunt Nola pays in the Summer, in Ocean City. They jack up the prices in the Summer, and Aunt Nola still pays less.

Me: I think that's because we have so many more electronics than she does. We have five televisions, six computers, a bunch of video game consoles, and more. I'm getting off topic. You spend $500 on the electric bill, so switching to $51 a month with solar, after the high upfront cost saves a lot.

Mom: I'll need to think about it. Maybe we could schedule a consultation.

Me: In conclusion, Solar panels are our only viable option, due to where we live. It could save us a lot of money, in the long run, while also reducing damage to the environment, but Mom needs to save up money, and gather her courage first.

Part 2: Nicholas Describes the Benefits.

While, we may not live close enough to cleaner energy sources, and are still not in the best position to switch to solar panels, allow me to describe the benefits of switching to cleaner sources of energy. They all provide millions of homes with cheaper electricity than the main grid, while saving the environment, and providing millions of job opportunities through the construction and maintenance of the panels. Now, to move on to the individual benefits and downsides of each source of electricity.

First off, solar panels, which absorb the sun's radiation, to make electricity. Besides lower costs, there are currently tax exemptions, that make installation of solar panels much cheaper. They're also a cleaner source of electricity than natural gas, and can make you less dependent on the super expensive grid.. The downside, besides high installation costs, is the inconsistency of the source. Solar panels only collect elctricity, when absorbing energy from the sun. Heavy clouds mean no energy. They also require special roofs to install, so like Mom said, you have to consider the risk of needing to buy a replacement roof, if you want the panels to work. They also can block the view, when not on a roof, and be deemed ugly, discouraging their use.

Second off, wind turbines, which generate power, by spinning. Wind turbines are the cheapest source of electricity today, and can be built in many different places, like fields, valleys, and even the ocean. Wind is also, an inexaustible source of energy, so the turbines are an ever reliable generator. However, many wind turbines are currently tied to the grid, so their cost is dependent on how much our electric company overlords want to charge us. They're also said to be ugly, and noisy, which brings down property values. Finally, if there's low wind, the turbines have to use other sources of electricity to spin, which means they're not really saving the environment as much as you may think.

Finally, we have hydropower, electricity created by water spinning a turbine that generates electricity. Hydropower is locally sourced, meaning areas that use it are self-reliant. The generators can also be incorporated into preexisting structures, like dams and bridges, reducing construction costs, greatly. The big downside is that hydropower is heavily dependent on location. A lot of flowing water is needed to spin the turbine, and generate electricity, so you need to live near a large reservoir of water, in order to utilize electricity generated from hydropower.