Back in the mid 2010’s I drove a Nissan LEAF for my solar estimating and canvassing work. It had a nice graphic wrap and was great advertising for the electrified future!
An Igloo cooler submerged streetside. It held an extension cord plug for the EV!
There were no public charging options near my apartment building. In 2017 I wrote a blog post about costs to charge an electric car.
Since the 2010’s we have seen many customized streetside solutions. EV owners running electricity to the curb themselves.
This year Seattle City Light plans to install a Level 2 charger just 3 blocks from my apartment building. I wish it were closer but it’s a “start” – pun intended!
Here is the recently announced list of new EV charging locations. Can’t wait to see it happen in upper Fremont!
Folks have had to get creative!
This block in Fremont will soon have an EV charging station.
There are 800 member-owned electrical co-ops in the USA. 40 million people get their power from an Electric Co-op! Principally in rural areas, these Cooperatives cover 56% of the populated land mass in the 50 states.
Rural Electric Cooperatives began in 1876. They are consumer-owned, non-profit utilities. FDR’s New Deal created work projects in the 1930s and this brought electricity to rural areas. In 1942 the rural electrical co-ops of WA State formed a coalition. To this day the WRECA represent those member co-ops in Olympia.
Metal barn roof with cool cupolas on top!
Ratepayers to the Co-ops are not customers, they are owners. They have a say in the supply of electricity. Lately these member-owners have been interested in local renewables like wind and solar. Grid resiliency and enhanced services are priorities via rural microgrid projects, and deployment of broadband (internet) service.
The Palmetto State is a sunny place, with beaches that ribbon the eastern shore. Like other coastal areas, flooding and onshore storm damage is a growing threat.
In my previous post I discuss the state’s solar industry. The emergence of local solar installs in coastal communities is coinciding with the visual evidence of climate change.
Pawley’s Island, road’s end, March 2020
It will be public funding and budgets that will mitigate, prepare and repair the coastal areas. To save places like Pawley’s Island, a breezy retreat settlement from the antebellum period, they will use public subsidy, i.e. taxpayer investment. Should they instead charge the companies that caused climate change or some other thoughtful solution?
Flooding in Charlestown SC, March 2020
In coastal flooding records beginning 1953, 22 of the 32 major or greater flooding events have happened since 20152. More frequent and intense storms ravage and flood South Carolina.
The state’s aquatic conditions and their politics coincided to make the Charleston area a human slavery trade hub in America’s founding. Places made possible rather quickly and majestically by relying upon and exploiting a slave economy and labor market.
If money is invested to save water-side mansions, what about the coastal areas where the Gullah Geechee still live? Or the places that are less symbolic than Old Charleston or Pawleys Island? The residences of poorer people lacking the resources to move or repair damage done by these weather events?
Generating solar electricity in the community makes a lot of sense. Through honest debate, we can collectively heed the science. Establish progressive policy to power our lives with limited harm to ourselves and the world we live in.
Sources:
www.ClimateToothpaste.com boxes with “patented blend of humor”!
– 26% Federal Tax Credit expires Dec. 31, 2022. Average of ~$5000 per Residence. – Net Metering, aka Bill credit from the electric utility. No expiration date. – No sales tax. – Increased home value. Also, property tax assessment exempt. – Associated electrical upgrades, e.g. batteries, also qualify for the 26% Federal Tax Credit.
His answer: “Oh, well, I’d say electricity.” And there was immediate verve in the studio!
Johnny Carson grew up in Nebraska. He responded: “Well people forget … I remember going to my grandparents’ home where they didn’t – they had the kerosene lamps …”
Merritt Heaton: “Exactly, maybe had a few candles around?”
Johnny Carson: “Ab-solutely”
In the mid 1930’s, 90% of rural America lacked electricity. By 1950 just 20% of rural America lacked electricity. What happened in 15 short years!?
Beginning in the mid ’30’s, new transmission towers and lines began to dot and thread the landscape. A new vista on the horizon, and new illumination for the farms and rural folk. Imagine the incredulity of these large metal structures, promising 24/7 electricity to remote areas.
Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in 1933. FDR’s New Deal was a plan to take the country out of its economic and unemployment woes. The Great Depression lasted from 1929-1939.
In 1935 FDR formed the Rural Electrification Administration, now known as Rural Utilities Services. A year later Congress passed the Rural Electrification Act (REA)
Funding electric projects in rural America was a priority for the US Dep’t of Agriculture. Loans were distributed via the money allocated in the 1936 Rural Electrification Act. The effort trained and employed physical laborers, electricians, and those that would help administer 1000s of miles of new electrical lines.
– 26% Federal Tax Credit. Average value ~$5000 per Residence. – Free power, aka Bill credit from the electric utility. No expiration date. – No sales tax. – Increased home value. More good news: Property tax assessment exempt. – Associated electrical upgrades also qualify for the 26% Federal Tax Credit.
Financial incentives have been a game changer. Many South Carolinians with solar installations get a combined state and federal tax forfeiture of at least 51%1 of the total cost of the purchase of a solar system.
There were 1,160 installations in 2016, 18,000 in 2019 and a forecast of 40,000 before 20242.
New Solar on Litchfield Beach 2020
Solar at the beach! Ocean adjacent systems may use system components that are more resistant to saline conditions.
But also…Fresh rain cleans your panels!
Suburban Neighborhood, Murrells Inlet SC
South Carolina has huge solar potential but has opponents. Can you guess who doesn’t want competition in the energy marketplace?
Recently, a collective of solar-friendly entities was able to successfully lobby on behalf of the state’s utility customers. State Regulators rejected the latest appeal of the private utility companies who want to continue their monopoly on power delivery.
For example Dominion Energy’s attempt to attach financial penalties to their customers that adopted solar was officially and significantly delayed in May 20213.
EVs and Solar PV seem to go hand in hand. Both are electric and supplant the need for fossil fuels. Interested in powering your car and/or your property with solar? I can help you select the right solar system size. I am also able to give info on charging equipment and forecast your annual cost based on miles travelled.
This property owner installed a larger Solar PV system to accommodate future EV use.
Consumers are increasingly seeing the value in clean transportation by virtue of the cost savings of switching from gas to electric. EVs are proving themselves to be more economical and efficient than driving a traditional gas powered vehicle.
Did you know that they are fun to drive and super quiet as well? As a former EV driver I miss the ease of maneuvering and maintaining such an efficient machine.
Gas is expensive. Driving electric is 50-75% less expensive than driving with gas. Bringing gasoline to market is complex and costly to the consumer. Gas transportation is also WA State’s largest contribution to the CO2 emissions causing global climate change.
Purchase Price Info. New all-electric sedans are priced competitively to other new cars. Usually in the $30K range. Popular 2019 EVs have an approximate range of 200 miles when fully charged. This is plenty for the average commuter. Generally, the more expensive the car, the more battery capacity/storage it has.
Incentives
Utility Rebate in WA: New Nissan LEAFs: Seattle City Light, Snohomish PUD, and other “Public Power” utilities have a $3500 rebate available until January 2, 2020.
WA State Rebates: $2500 tax rebate on new EVs less than $45,000. $1600 tax rebate on used EVs less than $30,000.
Federal Tax Credit: As it is with Solar PV, this Incentive is a Tax Credit, not a tax deduction. Currently valued up to a $7500 maximum. Varies by manufacturer and time of year the car is purchased.
Solar Panel carport in Monterey, Calif.
Cost of Driving – Mileage Cost Calculations
Recharge your EV at work, on the road, or at your residence.
A decent estimate for residential electricity cost in Western WA is 11 cents per kWh (kilowatt hour). If you pay less than that then it is less cost to drive your EV too! For example, Tacoma Power duly promotes EV usage; the per kWH cost there is less than 9 cents.
Let’s say you purchase a new, popular EV, e.g. Chevy BOLT, Nissan LEAF, or Tesla 3.
These cars use about .25kWh to drive 1 mile, or 1kWh each 4 miles, or 25kWh to drive 100 miles.
Each 100 miles will cost ~$2.75. (11 cents * 25kWh)
Maintenance costs. Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) have serious hardware: radiators, oil tank and filter, gas tank, pipes, plugs, belts, & sound mufflers! Fact is, upkeep is far more necessary with gas as opposed to electric battery powered cars.
Batteries in lieu of Gas Tank Electric vehicles run on battery power. They are “plug-ins” and have an outlet that accepts electricity to charge the battery. Batteries hold the charge. It is the same as filling the tank, except it is electrons and not liquid gas. There is a Federal mandate that EVs must have an 8 year or 100,000 mile warranty for their batteries.
Extra Tech. The type of technology used in automobiles has an effect on its efficiency. A regenerative braking process is standard in EVs and Hybrids and boosts the efficiency.
Gas powered cars utilize about 15% of the purchased gas.
Diesel engines convert about 20% of the amount you purchase.
Hybrids, aka cars that use regenerative braking, are generally 40% efficient.
EV batteries in all-electric vehicles convert 59-79% of the electricity you purchase.
Use locally produced electricity!Crude oil extraction is invasive and prone to spills and environmental calamity. Oil is sourced globally and sent to local refineries and prepped for distribution. There is a corresponding cost to consumers, and not least of all, the environment.
In Washington State the majority of our supply is generated by regional hydro power. There is also some wind and solar in the state, and we are striving for more of that!
Electricity is everywhere. How much power you will need to run your car can be pre-determined by a solar professional like me. Using solar, you can power just your property or the local grid as well. Here is my blog post about Off-Grid vs. Grid-Tied for more info.
Stormwater runoff vs. the new EV charging station. Showdown @ 1st St. in La Conner, WA
Thinking of installing solar? How will you employ the usage of the sun’s power?
Will your system be closed loop Off-Grid; or will it be a back & forth Grid-Tied system?
Here is a description of these two available options.
Off-Grid
Historically, solar installations were viewed as an off-grid project. If the power company’s lines didn’t drop to your property, you could use solar to make your own electricity.
If your property is remote, or you have a desire to be fully or partially autonomous, you can still capture and keep your solar energy on site. This will require batteries and storage technology. The solar panels fill the battery with power and that electricity will be available for use. Sizing of the solar system, the dynamics of power generation, and storage capacity become considerations. Professionals such as myself can help you plan for this circumstance.
Grid-Tied
This is the most popular form of solar adoption. Installations are connected to the available electrical grid. Such interconnection offers reliability and convenience. Use the solar power you are creating and/or use the grid power when needed.
Owners of grid-tied systems are recognized by local utilities as Customer Generators. Your solar installation powers your own property as well as others, via the grid’s utility lines. As a Customer Generator, you will give the grid electricity when you are producing more than you can use. Then, later in the day, or later in the year, you will be able to use that 1:1 corresponding solar credit. This benefit is considered an important Incentive, and states without the incentive experience less solar adoption by utility customers.
In WA State we have a law that protects solar properties from ever being denied a 1:1 Credit for power they send to the grid. It is known as the Solar Fairness Act and this Net Metering Law protects Customer Generators. My blog post on the 2019 Legislative session.
Battery Back-up
If you have a grid-tied system and you would like clean, quiet power generation when the grid is out of commission, you have the option of adding batteries. Installing batteries at the same time you add the solar means that you can apply the Solar Investment Tax Credit to that cost as well. There may be a future savings depending upon how your utility bills you for electricity. In the NW, residential power delivery is most vulnerable in the Wintertime. Those are the shortest and darkest days. Therefore the battery storage must be sized aggressively enough to have the capacity needed to power the desired loads.
