Homeowners and businesses throughout San Diego are increasingly producing their own clean electricity – instead of relying exclusively on the traditional grid.
- The first post in this series looked at whether or not the utility grid would ever become completely optional. Turns out that the answer is “Yes.”
- The second article looked at what steps were necessary for making this transition to a world without grid electricity. The answer is “affordable solar batteries.”
Today, we’ll look at how soon this transition will take place.
How Soon Will the Utility Grid Become Truly Optional?
Technically speaking, the utility grid is already optional – right now.
There are many San Diego solarcustomers who have on-site battery storage. The technology is expensive, but for remote homes and businesses, batteries are the only way to power their appliances at night.
For the rest of us, we’ll have to wait a little bit longer. But how long?
Good question. A new breakthrough could happen tomorrow. Or it could happen 5 or 10 years from now. No one can say for certain how soon the transition will take place.
One thing that is certain, however, is that YOU are in a position to help speed things along. Here’s why:
- By going solar today, you help increase demand for renewable energy within San Diego.
- This increased demand results in more pushback from utilities (i.e. higher rates, more legislation, and more campaigning) as they try to defend their dwindling profits.
- This pushback alienates even more SDG&E customers who then decide to go solar as well.
- The cycle repeats, creating a steady stream of utility customers defecting to solar energy.
- This steady stream of new solar customers will also result in more EVs being sold. In fact, 40% of EV owners in California also have solar installed.
- More EVs and solar customers will encourage Tesla and its competitors to invest greater resources in storage development.
Now here’s the real question. Should you wait until onsite battery storage prices come down before you decide to go solar?
No. You shouldn’t wait.
Battery storage is an add-on. You can retrofit pretty much any solar PV system with batteries after the fact. And here’s the thing – the sooner you go solar, the sooner batteries will become affordable. Each new installation speeds up the entire cycle outlined above.
Send a Message to the Utilities – Go Solar Today
The utility companies aren’t evil. They’re run by ordinary people who provide a valuable service.
But.
That service is becoming less valuable as time goes on. The continued burning of fossil fuel wreaks havoc on the environment. And because this dirty fossil fuel is becoming harder to extract, grid electricity prices continue to rise. Just last year, SDG&E raised its rates 40% for some customers.
As more people embrace solar, the utilities lose more money. Those who remain on the network will pay increasingly higher bills in order to make up the difference.
Do you want to be one of those who gets left behind?
The traditional electricity distribution business model is outdated. The entire network was designed 100 years ago and hasn’t improved a whole lot since. The utilities could upgrade their infrastructure. They could embrace more green technologies and slowly wean themselves off of fossil fuel. Some actually have begun the transition. But most of them remain resistant to change – only making improvements when the government tells them to.
That’s their problem. But it doesn’t have to be yours.
Go solar today and rid yourself of the utility network as much as possible. Doing so is better for the environment and your pocketbook.
Contact us today to learn how we can help. All solar quotes and consultations are 100% free.
