How brilliant would it be if you could see your electric meter turn anti-clockwise? In other words, would it not be nice to get some money from the power company for a change? This is the concept of ‘net metering.’ This is a brand new idea….expand net metering to more hosts. One fact we have to admit is that no one expects homemade windmills or solar cells currently running on top of private house roofs to replace the huge power output from power plants in the very near future. Secondly, we also have to admit that there are concerns about safety, reliability issues and regulatory questions.
But, every time I drive past an old windmill in the lovely countrysides in The Netherlands that might have the once powered water pump, I wonder why that same windmill can’t generate a little clean electricity. And thinking back only a few hundred years, the windmills were once almost the only source of power available at the time. So why not follow the idea that every household could have a home operated windmill generating residential wind power and solar panels which would feedback into the power grid. A combined amassment of windmills and solar panels to feedback to the power grid driving down the overall costs of producing electricity from which everyone who needs to buy power can benefit from incl. public institutions, schools, hospitals etc.
Really? Why not?
Ok, ok, we all know that we require enormous amounts of energy to power our modern world. We surely need big power plants and big electrical grids and even nuclear power. But there is a strong belief amongst more and more people that we need small power plants, residential wind power in private gardens and solar power panels on private house roofs. This idea could be transformed into a larger energy strategy. We keep talking about energy and whether there is more need for yet more oil, more biofuels, more coal, more alternative sources. But do we ask ourselves often enough if we want privately operated wind turbines and solar panels? The answer, in my opinion, is ‘all of the above. All of the above’ can include net metering.
Here’s how it works.
Right now, hosts can generate their own electricity. Homeowners, farmers, schools, kinder gardens etc. all could generate their own electricity and if you generate a surplus, you can put that extra power into the grid in return for a credit. And that power would go on to people like me, who buy from the grid.
The concept would expand net metering to businesses and industries. It also would increase the amount of power that could be ‘net-metered.’
In addition, providing tax credits for investments in renewable energy technology could be easily realized.
The idea is two-fold – encouraging people to use green technology and to encourage businesses to make those green technology systems and creating jobs.
If the concept works, hosts will be a little less dependent upon others to keep their power going. We would certainly have a few more jobs and we would have one part of an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy in place.
