I know it seems old hat, and it's not as sexy as solar panels and wind power, but I'm on a mission to replace all my home's lights with LEDs.
Last night I yanked close to the last of our home's incandescents, 130 watts worth, and replaced them with a grand total of 11.5 watts of LED lights.
The wife, she hates hates hates hates HATES hates HATES compact fluorescents....
....so while I transitioned to CFLs in most of the home there's still a few incandescents lingering about.
Ultimately my goal is to transition to solar power, and my first step is to dramatically reduce the amount of power we use, which I've been doing anyway. Right now we're at about 350 kwh per month. I'd like to get that under 200 kwh.
I'd like to go off grid...because frankly I'm wondering if we've reached the point, technologically, where we really don't NEED the utility companies anymore. Off grid solar setups can pay for themselves in less than 10 years, and in some cases MUCH less than that.
I know a fellow who owns a bakery Up North: Laughing Tree Brick Oven Bakery. (check them out) He and his family are fully off-grid. Their home and bakery get 100% of their power from solar most of the year and during a couple months of the year they use a generator.
He built his set up years go, before the incentives and before the cost of solar panels dropped like a rock. And still, it was cheaper in the long run for him to go solar and off grid.
This is a very important point.
Is it possible that are at a crossroads where the technology is finally there to allow us to go fully or partially offgrid without significantly reducing our standard of living --lights, refrigerators, washing machines, computers -- and within a reasonable pay-back time? Holy crap, dude...2 to 7 watts for a lightbulb? That's just nuts.
And here's a visual of how the cost of solar panels has dropped precipitously:
And Deutsche Bank has issued a report that the solar market will be sustainable and competitive without requiring subsidies by 2014.
Buoyed by bullish demand forecasts, and increasing utilization rates and pricing, Deutsche Bank forecasts a solar market transition from subsidized to sustainable in 2014.
The German bank has raised its 2013 global solar demand forecast to 30 GW – representing a 20% year-on-year increase – on the back of suggestions of strong demand in markets including India, the U.S., China (around 7 to 10 GW), the U.K. (around 1 to 2 GW), Germany and Italy (around 2 GW).
Rooftop installations are, in particular, expected to be a main focus, says Deutsche Bank. A trend for projects being planned with either "minimal/no incentives" has also been observed, despite the belief that solar policy outlooks are improving, particularly in the U.S., China and India, and "other emerging markets".
Is it possible we don't need the utilities anymore...at least that we won't need them for much longer? Is it possible that energy reduction and production technology is about to leepfrog the standard utilities business model? That this struggle with energy produces is about to be bypassed completely?
Will they come to the realization that if they don't move toward cleaner more affordable and sustainable energy...those of us who care about such things will. On our own. That those who want to for environmental or self-sufficiency reasons can extract themselves from the grid without breaking the bank?
I hope to find out over the course of the next couple years. This year I'm planning to get my garage off grid. Then, maybe move on to some portions of the house. We'll see how it goes.