Smart Investments for Energy Security

Washington State is highly dependent upon snow pack for its electricity. With climate uncertainty, alternative energy can provide more security and reliability for the foreseeable future.

Just how vulnerable is Washington State to climate uncertainty?

The Union of Concerned Scientists has put together an interactive map that shows "climate hotspots" or areas already being impacted by climate uncertainty.

This map tracks impacts on people, fresh water supplies, oceans, ecosystems and temperature. The viewer can click on any one of the noted locations to read about the effects of climate change for that location.

The Ross Dam (pictured) on the Skagit River in Washington's North Cascade Mountains provides 70 percent of the regions electricity (including Seattle). Declining snowpack averaging 25 percent and as much as 60 percent in some areas and earlier peaking of spring runoff because of global warming threaten hydropower productivity and other uses of the water supply in the U.S. Northwest.

This decline is projected to continue as the climate warms further this century. "Reduced snowpack is likely to curb hydropower during parts of the year, and to place other stresses on the regions water supply." "Scientists project as much as another 40 percent decline (of the snowpack) by the 2040's."

This translates into increasing costs of electricity, also greater conflict between sustaining water flows in the summer months for salmon and electricity generation.

Increasing intensity of climate events adds another layer of complexity to energy security. A warmer atmosphere has been shown to produce greater extremes; Higher winds, more volume of precipitation of snow or rain in some areas and greater proclivity for drought in others.

In the Pacific Northwest that means more instances of power outages due to high winds. A photo voltaic system with a back up battery has a lot to offer a business owner:

• Obtain credit from your local utility on any excess production
• Have access to electricity and stay in business even during a regional power outage
• Be positioned to capitalize on increased electrical rates as a producer
• Avoid the negative impacts of increased electricity rates

If you decide to explore investing in a Photo Voltaic system for your business here are some tips: Ask for references when interviewing potential providers, find out how long they have been in business and get bids from at least 3 companies. Ask them if they use Washington made Solar Panels and inverters.