That day in September, we when the terrorists attacked the World Trade Centers, I was employed as a construction electrician, building four new peaker power plants immediately adjacent to the Harbor Generating facility next to Lomita, California.
Not long after, I went to work as an Electrical Mechanic for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Water. Even though I was a journeyman electrician, I was assigned to a forty month training program covering utility generation, transmission, sub-transmission, and distribution; importantly, this training covered the construction, installation, operation and maintenance of these utility disciplines. I have built generation, switching, receiving, and distribution stations; while being directly responsible for their maintenance and upkeep. The labor involved in maintaining current generation technology is staggering. The maintenance required fo solar power begins with a bottle of Windex.
After years of experience in station maintenance and construction, I was assigned as a solar power inspector.
I am fluent in the regulatory requirements of co-generation, and yes I understand the challenges of “regulatory capture” and the power of the lobbyists employed by the utility industry. Bored with the details of my resume, I only wanted to point out that I’ve seen both sides.
I fully aware of costs, technical complexities, and upkeep requirements of a wide range of generation methods. I also know the weaknesses of the renewable generation companies (i.e. Tesla) and the weaknesses electric utility firms.
Technology evolves at a faster pace than bureaucratic organizations (utilities) can keep up with. The utilities are indeed embedded into the Earth — I realize they are not going away.
That said, Tesla is uniquely positioned to take wide swaths of utility revenue streams. And, I believe Elon Musk to be a seasoned warrior in the battle against regulatory capture.
Pipe dream? Okay, keep telling yourself that.
