The Consequences of Not Going Solar

By: Chloe Cheng

Solar power is a fast-growing segment of the energy sector not only in the United States, but also internationally. However, did you know that China and Russia attack our power grid daily?

David Kunhardt, CEO of SolEd Benefit Corporation, said, “Every day, in the United States, there are dozens of attacks on the US power grid, particularly from Russia and China.” The US power grid is susceptible to cyber and physical attacks, which can be potentially detrimental, as electricity can be cut off from specific targets, such as government offices and centers.

If the US became less reliant on the electric power grid by shifting toward the use of solar power, the effects of such attacks would be lessened. Kunhardt stressed, “Solar: you produce it where you use it. You put it up, it’s on your roof...so you don’t need a smart grid, you don’t need transmission, you don’t need a utility company!”

Countries such as Germany provide good examples for the US to follow in terms of becoming more reliant on solar energy. Although Germany is not drastically bigger than a number of states in the US and does not receive immense amounts of sunlight, Germany, according to Kunhardt, has “more solar per capita than anybody else in the world.”

Germany achieved such success in its solar power-related endeavors due to its introduction of a feed-in tariff, a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies. The government of Germany paid companies that generated clean energy from solar facilities, sparking a surge in the number of investors, people, and companies coming to Germany to support solar. With all of its success, Germany has “begun to back off from the cost of that feed-in tariff as the cost of solar equipment has come down,” Kunhardt said.

Other countries such as China are legitimate competitors when it comes to solar and are outperforming the US. Kunhardt said, “China, partly with some government subsidies, has jumped into solar in a very big way and some of the biggest module manufacturers come from China.” He continued, “There are a few US manufacturers left and they were brutalized by the competition from China.” The US must start seriously looking into solar as an essential part of the energy sector if it is to compete on a global scale.

If the US focused on solar power, it would not only prevent us from falling behind other countries, but prevent power grid attacks from having a significant impact. If the US wants to keep its foothold in the global economy, investing time, money, and effort in the solar power industry would be a decision that is sure to pay off in the future.