Monday, February 4, 2013

The New Normal

A funny thing seems to be happening all around us in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Our neighborhoods and businesses seem to be sprouting more and more solar power arrays on their roofs.  Neighbors are driving EV's and plug-in hybrids.  The morning and evening freeway commute has Leafs, Volts, Plug-In Prius's, Tesla Model S's, driving quietly and cleanly, mostly in the commute lanes.

When I go to various Silicon Valley corporations for my work, I see special parking areas for EV and plug-in hybrid charging stations, and these spots are normally in use.  Same with parking garages, airports, government buildings, and downtown streets.

These things started happening in the late '90's in California, but waned.  This time, the wheels are literally in motion and seemingly unstoppable.

Solar panel costs have been cut in half, many homes and businesses are leasing their PV arrays for less than their utility bill used to cost.  EV's can be leased for the same payment as the monthly cost of gas for a typical commute.  Car companies like Tesla, Chevy, and Nissan are building their EV's and plug-in hybrids in the US.

Sure, we're just at the beginning of this new paradigm, it will be slow and difficult to get people to open their minds to changing the status quo.  These big kinds of shifts often are.  But changing it is.  Going forward, most cars sold will be hybrids.  Many new construction projects will include solar power arrays.  There are already more people employed in the solar power industry than the coal industry.

I'm proud that my wife and I have had an effect on some of our neighbors and friends who have gone solar and bought EV's.  This is how revolutions happen!  This is the new normal!