Now More Than Ever, Energy Security Matters

How much longer will our power grid last? Mark Pischea is the author of this article and the president and ceo of Conservative Energy Network, a non-profit who believes the inevitable transition to clean, renewable energy will ensure our energy independence, protect American national security, conserve the natural beauty of our homeland, create new homegrown jobs, and guard against rising energy costs. In this article, he addresses the vulnerabilities of Covid-19 will have on our power grid, writing " we are now reliant on againg infrastructure and outdated technology to carry us through the worst global crisis since at least World War II. " Pischea brings out some very relevant points when he links the article to a conversation he had with his aging mother, who is worried about what a power outage would do to her. By including that in the article, he makes the experience real for the readers and leaves them thinking too. Another interesting point that was addressed is that there are many monopolies in the energy services field and being difficult to find alternatives that will be approved. As stated in the article, "According to more competiton in electricity markets that would allow people to choose where they buy their power. Among conservatives, this number jumps to 91 percent in favor. Unfortunately, regulatory hurdles and laws protecting legacy monopoly utilities make it difficult for the private sector, beyond some large corporate purchasers, to enjoy these benefits. " It seems like a majority of the population would like more options, so why is it so difficult to break through? If Covid-10 carries on for an extended period of time, we could have multiple factors stressing our grid and it may not be able to handle it. Pischea gave some viable solutions that we can start implementing in order to start improving our vulnerabilities. "Innovations in our power system makes it possible to diversify and decentralize energy access through microgrids, distributed energy resources like rooftop solar, battery storage, and community solar programs.. polices to address our aging electricity infrastructure should also include providing consumers the power address our again electricity infrastructure should also include providing consumers the power to source cleaner, more renewable energy." We know what the solutions are, but it's time to start implementing them on a larger scale so that we don't have to worry about the what ifs as much.