Just a local story

    The old time expression about old age and cunning overcomes youth and inexperience came to mind yesterday. In this story I am the old guy, and the subject was solar power. I picked up this expression from an Oklahoma guy while I was in Okinawa, by the way.

            What prompts this story is a visit by a 20 something year old friend who promoted solar power. In my version of his words, he told me about this because he believed in it because he had been taught that, or at least believed that.

            So good on him for saying that, and we do have an affable relationship. And he works for the local County government.

            When I asked him a couple of technical questions, he could not answer, so he  lost credibility with me, and right then.  There's no free lunch with any kind of energy production. All have pros and cons, and where one lives has a lot to do with their final decision, or even their bet these days.

             And right now I already do make my own electricity with water power, and we have a lot of that where I live. So I am OK, I think. I have even designed in adverse things like the Carrington Event from 1859, or more modern EMP and CME type possible events.

            Well, in this story, he then suggested I always need a fall back, since I do like my electricity, even with my low requirements, and his solution was solar. Well, it hurt my feelings because  I agree with that idea of a backup. Well, to continue the story, I told him I also do have backup, but it is low solar output.

            So do I need a better backup?

            Right now the story answer is "no".  Now if I lived in a better solar energy  area, the answer would be yes. Yep, some places are better than others, and I may have to go without electricity where I live, worse case.

And that is how this story goes.