Friday, April 6, 2012

We could be on-grid by 2018!

"The 100-megawatt distribution line could extend to the site of a planned International Tower Hills mine by 2018 and also could offer electricity in areas north of Fox that GVEA doesn’t currently serve.

With access to subdivisions off the Elliott Highway, Haystack Drive and even the small community of Livengood, GVEA could add hundreds of homes to the Interior grid." per the NewsMiner.

Livengood is approximately another 120 miles past the homestead headed north.  We would be one of the "hundreds of homes" that would gain access to the power grid if and when this line goes in.  And come to find out, preparation for this very line is the bulk of the reason for a very good friend's archeological fieldwork the past few summers.  Funny how the universe can sometimes synchronize things.

When I first read the article, I really watched my reaction to it; I was expecting to be somehow upset or feel cheated.  Living remotely has been such a longtime dream, and I feel radical and hard core living off-grid.  But I wasn't upset at all, I was psyched. 

Our electrical set up is great in our long long days during our short summer.  But in the winter dark we run off of the deisal generator.  We have a great battery set up and the system is phenomenal.  But it is still a direct getting of power from fossil fuels.  Hooking into the grid would allow us to (potentially) sell back excess solar energy in the summer time, and then have (probably cheaper) winter power.  Also, as time goes on and fossil fuels increase in scarcity and price and demand, I sincerely hope that GVEA, our local energy co-op company, increasingly pursues large scale sustainable hydro-, wind-, and geothermal- energy sources.  Which would mean, that being on-grid might be more truly sustainable than off grid.

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