Positive Future #426 (Feature photo – Power Transmission Lines – CCA SA 3.0 Unported)
Whether you are a large farmer with dozens of pumping stations fed by power lines or a home gardener whose views are compromised by ugly power poles and power lines, the future of power is changing. In addition, larger power grids with thousands of miles of transmission lines are not sustainable and quickly collapse with any weather or geologic event. The problem with transmission lines is that they are costly to maintain and utilities have financial incentives to minimize maintenance. The recent PG&E bankruptcy is a prime example.
While wind and solar have made inroads, they require some form of power storage to make power reliable. Energy Central journalist Henry Craver reports how the cost of electricity from lithium-ion batteries has nose-dived. If you can store your power from your own or community solar project, the need for transmission lines drops precipitously. You can read the full story here:
https://www.energycentral.com/c/gr/battery-stored-electricity-getting-cheap
