Greg Bitterling
Every new year, I wonder in anticipation: “Maybe this is the year I will get my jet pack.”
And every year I then ask myself, “Where is my jet pack and why haven’t I gotten it yet?”
In grade school I was told that by the year 2000 we would all be flying around using jet packs. Well it is now 2019 and I still don’t have my jet pack!
So, what do we have to look forward to in the future? Well as far as electricity goes we could be looking at a lot of changes.
First, solar power. This is already happening all around us. The cost of solar systems has been dropping and the output has improved. Realize that commercially available panels have efficiency ranges from 5 to 22 percent (15 to 18 percent is common). That means that out of all the energy that could possibly be garnered from the sun the panels are only capable of transferring 18 percent of it to useable power. Eighteen percent efficiency leaves a lot of room for improvement, and we will see some of these upgrades in 2019.
As solar panels improve, we will see more and more energy produced by the sun. We are already seeing more residential systems being implemented and that trend will continue. These systems will get better and be used more often in new home construction. We already have solar shingles available. As costs go down, we may see all new homes built with these shingles. I can remember when central air conditioning was something only very rich people had in their homes. Now you almost never see a new home built without it. The same may happen with solar.
Community solar could also grow. These are large systems. Members can buy panels on that system and receive credit for the power their panels produce. If you do not have any room on your property for panels this could work for you. Like anything else, if it is built on a large scale the cost will go down. This means you could probably buy panels less expensively than if you built a system yourself.
Better batteries are also on the horizon. This will be a real game changer. Now we cannot store A/C power. With better batteries we will be able to store the power we are producing. Homes may be able to use power stored in batteries during the day (using solar panels) to run through the night. Power plants would be able to store power and use it to control peak loads. Everything from cordless tools to electric cars could run longer and travel farther. Homes and businesses could even be wired so lighting would run on D/C. This would make solar more efficient. Instead of needing power inverters to change solar D/C power to A/C, it would be a direct conversion with less power loss.
This brings us to electric cars. Right now most electric cars get at or over 100 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). This is like a gas car getting 100 MPG. If batteries do improve we will see the MPGe and the range they can travel between charges increase. Electric cars will require less maintenance, too. No spark plugs, no oil to change, no fuel filters, little to no fluids period. There are way less moving parts in an electric motor than an internal combustion motor (ICM). Some experts are predicting electric motors will last well over 500,000 miles as compared to 130,000 miles from an ICM.
Don’t forget that battery in that electric car. What if we could use it to store power to run our home or put power back on the electric grid during a peak? Think about it: if the battery is charged during the day with solar power then you could pull power out of it at night (leaving enough for you to get to work the next day, of course). This would be like having a bunch of little generators in homes all over the world! No more power outages and lower electric rates!
These are just a few things I can predict for our electric future. Who knows how many will come true or how long that will take. I personally think many of these technological advancements are very possible in the next five to 10 years.
One thing I am pretty sure won’t happen…… no jet pack for me.
Greg Bitterling
Member Services Manager and
Energy Advisor at Fulton County REMC
