Should you consider installing alternative energy options on your RV?

The U.S. electric power grid is old, weak and falling behind demand by the day. Brownouts, blackouts and unreliable electricity delivery may be here before we know it; so says a report by Mark P. Mills at Forbes.com.

Here is something to chew on, since the 1973 oil embargo U.S. oil consumption has only increased 15% whereas electricity has jumped by 115%. It’s not the commercial and industrial sectors that increased the demand, it’s the ginormous increase in home computers, appliances, monster TVs, spas, and all manner of new gadgets all requiring electricity. On top of all this we want to ad electric automobiles that can be recharged at home.

So how realistic is it that the U.S. may become like a third world electricity provider in the near future (sometimes the power works, sometimes it doesn’t)?“Right now the nation has 760 gigawatts of power plants to meet current consumption, with another 154 in reserve capacity to maintain grid reliability. But in fact only 10 gigs is truly excess capacity. The other 144 is utterly essential to keep lights on when unexpected demand arises from heat waves, outages or maintenance downtime. That reserve will begin to shrink quickly. NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation) estimates that over the next decade 135 gigawatts of new capacity will be needed to meet the growth in consumption. But right now plants producing a total of 57 gigawatts are planned.” said Mills.

For perspective, one gigawatt would power a city the size of San Francisco.

When you do the math we come up 78 gigawatts short. We barely have enough power to meet demand now, "There really isn't any excess in the system," says Rick P. Sergel, chief executive at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

Half of U.S. electric power is generated by coal which is increasingly looked down upon because of it’s carbon footprint. 59 new coal fired plants were canceled in 2007 and approximately 50 more are at risk of being axed by environmental opposition. It takes a long time to plan one of these plants (get permits, environmental studies, etc.) and it takes another six years just to build one.

Natural gas plants supply 20% of U.S. electricity but our natural gas reserves are dwindling and international demand for this hydrocarbon is increasing driving up the price, so it’s not the answer.

Nuclear power supplies another 20% and we haven’t had a new nuclear plant for over 30 years.Hydroelectric, Wind, and solar together generate less than 10% or our power and though promising technology is on the horizon, it won’t arrive in time to have any significant impact on the situation.

So what does this mean for your electric use and your electric bill? What does it mean for the rates at RV parks? According to NERC, electric rates at peak times will increase as much as tenfold. According to Mills we could also see forced conservation, rationing, or even blackouts in rotation among business and residential customers.
RV alternative energy options:
Installing solar panels on your RV may be something you may want to consider. RV parks will have no choice but to pass on increased electric rates to their customers. On the other hand, if you have solar panels and a good set of batteries you can free yourself from the power grid and enjoy camping where there are no electric hook-ups. Your camping options increase dramatically when you produce your own electricity.Small portable wind generators have come a long way and new models are much more efficient. Many of these units are being successfully employed by RV boondockers on BLM land in the southwestern United States. If you are camped where there is wind you can tap into this alternative source of energy.

Solar and wind won’t be able to power your air conditioner, but you’ll be able to run a fan and use other electrical appliances. Awnings and the prudent use of your generator should keep you more than comfortable as you enjoy undisturbed electric power from your truly self contained RV.

Staying charged up about RVing - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing