Neighborhood Ministries

Energy policies are also not being implemented wisely in managing our power grid. Old power plants using coal and gas are being pulled offline faster than  new solar and wind production is being built to replace them. That is straining our already overburdened systems.  In addition, electric cars have to be charged and the demand to switch to electric vehicles being pushed by President Biden will put a huge strain on our electric grid. In addition, many of our power distribution lines were constructed a long time ago and are in great need of being updated. Power lines have been responsible for a number wildfires lately when powerlines became overheated or stretched to the point they touched ground or other obstructions. In addition, power generated and transported for long distances loses power resulting in the need to generate additional energy to make up for losses. Wind and solar energy can be helpful in supplementing  the power grid, but cannot be relied on as the sole source. Many homes and businesses can get their own wind and solar generators to cut down on their electric bills. Solar panel and wind turbines can often be mounted on roofs where they don’t take up valuable land. In addition, it saves the need for transmitting power over long distances and will ease the strain on our power grid. Many generators produce more than the household or business needs and the excess power can be sold back to the power company to supplement their own power. However, power companies are often penalizing homes and businesses by underpaying them for electricity they supply and overcharging them when they need additional electricity to discourage them from switching because it costs them revenue.

President Biden continues to push for more reliance on renewable energy with no concern for how it is done. We are facing an increasing energy crisis with existing energy use and our electric grid is being pushed to the limits. We are using an increasing amount of electricity. Homes that once used electricity for lighting now have radios, TVs, electric appliances in the kitchen, electronic equipment in the den, and a host of other electric gadgets. Many homes were not built for such use and it is straining their electric wiring. However, nationwide, we are seeing even bigger problems. A few years ago, America was hit with a series of rolling blackouts as our usage exceeded the capacity of power companies to supply power. Energy suppliers were able to overcome the problems by increasing electric generation and distribution systems but we are again facing the possibility of  rolling blackouts. When wind and solar power are more environmentally friendly, they aren’t reliable. Clouds occasionally hamper solar collectors and the lack of wind occasionally hampers wind turbines. Texas experienced massive blackouts when cold weather froze wind turbines and snow covered solar collectors. They aren’t alone. Northern States are finding that electric vehicles don’t work well in cold weather.

My  wife and I took a trip to Van Wert, Oh  a couple years ago, and were surprised to see rows and rows of wind turbines. There looked like there were over 100 that we could see. They stretched for miles north of town and as far west as we could see. We also saw a solar energy field. They apparently had the foresight to plan ahead for cheap energy. Van Wert isn’t a big city and is mostly rural area so the turbines probably supply most of their energy needs. The turbines were probably purchased with subsidies from the government, so they didn’t pay full price for them and the money they save not having to buy energy from outside will pay for the turbines in the future. When the turbines are paid off, they will have cheap energy and most everyone else will still be paying high prices for energy. In addition, the subsidies can not last long with the way our government is spending money so they were smart to take advantage of them while they are available. Many areas are fighting solar and wind fields because they think they will be an eye sore. In addition, they take up far more land than traditional power stations.  Some fields cover hundreds of acres.