Why Wind and Solar Autonomy is a Matter of Life and Death

Using a high-likelihood scenario of continued greenhouse gas emissions and population growth over the 30 years, scientists have concluded that as many as 2.5 billion people could be living in areas of the world where temperatures regularly exceed 32° C (90° F) by 2060, up from 25 million today.

Extreme heat, ongoing drought and wildfire threats are putting power grids across the Globe and Continental U.S. at increased risk of Brownouts and rolling blackouts! In recent years heat waves in Europe broke records, sparked widespread wildfires and even damaged a busy runway at a London airport. Unlike the U.S., European countries don’t rely on air conditioning to cope with high temperatures. Fewer than 10% of households in Europe owned air conditioners as of 2016, according to the International Energy Agency. Even so that doesn't put the US in a better position as increasing reliance on fossil fuel energy to combat the heat only speeds up the process of global warming. The simple answer is a combination of owner owned solar and wind that utilizes battery storage for a net zero home. The reason why it is not pushed is that each home would in effect become a mini provider of energy with homes not utilizing energy from the grid reducing profit margins and sending free energy to the rest of the country thus lowering energy costs exponentially.

That is why some who rely on the companies who pollute the most see the green revolution as the enemy and those who support it as traitors to capitalism. Their perspective is we can fix it all later after I’m paid. It's like a man in a burning high rise who allows each floor to burn and says we can move downstairs until the flames reach us, no need to put the fire out yet. Meanwhile the longer he waits the higher, hotter, and faster the flames burn! Yet if we are searching for statistics on what countries don’t use air conditioning you would be surprised at how many there are.most countries don't use it commonly. Tropical countries just in the last 10 years began to use them, where people can afford them … but we’re not talking Florida temperatures when it comes to what the future of climate portends. We’re talking Death Valley.

Many countries rely on old architecture and high ceilings that take advantage of created wind tunnels and breezes but sadly climate change also changes wind patterns and what happens when the heat is persistent with no relief than you vulnerable populations at risk and when it comes to vulnerability it is the elderly, infants and children, and those who are pheomelanin dominant (Pale or highly fair skinned).Heat also affects birth rates and life expectancy for every day over 85 degrees a non-melanated population can statistically expect a given population to drop by 10,000.

As Europe grapples with scorching summer and skyrocketing energy prices, Spain has become the latest government to tell its citizens to turn down the AC. The country joins France, Belgium Greece, and Italy in the growing list of countries restricting the use of cooling in offices, shops, restaurants and other spaces. A decree in 2022 mandated that air conditioning in public places be set at or above 27 degrees Celsius (about 80 degrees Fahrenheit) and that doors of those buildings remain closed to save energy. Those public places include theaters, airports, and train stations. Because of this there is an international push for Net Zero building practices. In addition to reducing energy costs, net zero energy buildings also have a smaller environmental footprint than traditional buildings. This is because they rely less on fossil fuels and produce less greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving net zero is not as complicated as it once was with courses being taught in most programs and schools teaching about Net Zero which is simply when the energy used is supplied from renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind). NETZERO Energy means that a building balances its energy needs with energy produced from renewable, zero-emission sources. Ways of achieving this involves materials in insulation, type of flooring, air flow, use of windows to utilize sunlight, and passive heat release from build materials as well as the sources of energy and its regulation.

For intelligent potential homeowners, going net zero for your home is a no-brainer. The value of no utility bills is getting the attention of banks and appraisers, who are beginning to factor the tradeoff between no utility bills and home values into the calculations of what buyers can afford. Most data suggests that a typical American home (2,000 square feet home) consumes approximately 12,000 kilowatt-hours annually. So, when we divide the total consumption by the expected output of one solar panel, we see that roughly Twelve solar panels would be enough to power a home of that size. Rule of thumb is that 1 kilowatt (kW) of solar installed will produce in the continental US approximately 1,300-kilowatt hours (kWh) per year (More in the Southwest and tropics). So if your home uses 12,000 kWh per year, it is estimated you need around a 9.2 kW solar system to meet 100% of your energy needs (12,000/1,300 = 9.2).Adding a $5000 dollar simple battery system like the Tesla Powerwall or to the panels insures that even when it is raining snowing or there is a week or two without sunshine your household would still have power. From supplying your home with power during an outrage to helping minimize the amount of electricity to pull from the power grid, a battery is a practical and beneficial addition to any home solar system. A battery allows you to stay on the grid without utilizing it except in cases of extreme emergency like 3-4 weeks of no sunlight. Think Alaska.

But big energy corporations are always working hard to stop or slow down the transition to mostly free energy and freedom from debt that Green Technology represents. So all over the nation lawmakers are being asked to create taxes called sun or sunshine taxes that disincentive going solar or wind by placing a huge tax on the people that goes into the pockets of the energy providers who are angry they cant get your money any other way. It is basically a new way to steal from you by saying sunshine shouldn't be free if it keeps you from putting your hard earned money in some rich guy's pocket.It won’t be called a “sun tax”, but the US and other governments will eventually replace fuel taxes with another way to get your money. It will likely be increased usage and registration fees.

Fossil fuels are heavily subsidized. In fact if the solar industry got one year of what the fossil fuel industry does in subsidies, the whole country would have free solar on their rooftops! Petroleum is well on its way to being reduced to primarily non-fuel purposes (cosmetics, medicine) and we see billionaires slowly removing their money from oil and investing in battery tech lithium futures and iridium all things necessary for new generation battery applications (e.g. electric vehicles EVS, phones, computers) there will be a period of “adjustment” where huge fortunes will be lost, bullfighters will be gored, and lawmakers will be bribed.

Electric utilities will become like telecommunication companies - lobbying and fighting against competition from distributed power generation with energy that is 100% free, safe, and practically unlimited. What solar really does is counter things like inflation which is essentially a tax on the poor. Inflation, most simply stated, is an increase in the money supply greater than the sum of all goods and services produced.

Governments print this money so that they can spend it. People then pay higher prices for their consumed goods and services, which pays for the increased money supply. The problem is when people are able to live comfortably afford to feed their families and enjoy lives outside of engaging in consumerism they spend their money more wisely and big business sees a reduction in profit despite higher costs passed to the now non existent consumer who has returned to purchasing locally and from farmers markets etc.

Clean energy somehow inspires people to live more cleanly in other areas of their lives. Solar panels will raise your home's property value. Although the added value can vary by location, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that the average home value increases by $20 for every $1 saved on your utility bills. The average American household as of 2022 spends $2060.00 annually on heat and electricity. This translates to a higher market value when selling your home of approximately $41,200.00.