Why can't our energy problems be solved locally?

Question

I wonder why we can't have smaller scale generation facilities, getting rid of the grid maintenance problems and generate power locally and distribute locally. Utilize solar, hydro, co-gen, and wind where they are available. Making people more efficient on a small scale could solve some of our large scale problems!

Answer 1

Because regardless of what people say, their actions show that the majority go for whatever will save them the most money right now.

Once apon a time, we had individual energy companies. When another company moved in, offering them energy for less money, enough people went with that company... the more people who left to go to the less expensive company, the more the other company had to hike up its prices.. and so, eventually the one company monopolized on energy in their area.

We are lazy and we don't like change.. Our area has the opportunity to get windmills- good, clean, plentiful energy and people are raising hell because they don't want the windmills placed on their beautiful land.

Answer 2

The average costs would be too high if you were to do this on a local scale. That's why there are only a handful of BIG companies who deliver energy to homes and industry and the like. But to make the world a happier and cleaner place to live, you can always install solar panels on your own roof if you have enough money. You can also sell surpluses!

Answer 3

Small scale generation facilities suffer from higher cost, something large scale generation facilities can avoid because of economies of scale - decreasing average costs.

Answer 4

U would produce much more pollution than large plants that use scrubbers to remove particles from the air. The main problem is that u consider CO2 as a pollutant and it is not because plants remove or change it to oxygen in a process called photosynthesis.

Answer 5

We need to think bigger but we cant because of all of these environmentalists want to protect everything. It is those hippies that protest that cause the government so many problems when trying to deal with the energy and gas crisis.

Answer 6

MORE NUKES!!!

LESS KOOKS!