A Sensible Energy Solution

     An assignment given in the class Energy and the Environment (Fall 2018, CU Boulder) called for students to write a letter to the CEO of an energy company as a sort of call-to-action. And if you have been following this blog and reading my content for the past several years, you'll probably understand that I wanted nothing more than to go on one of my usual tangents about how this economic model is destroying the planet; how we have a monetary system with disadvantage built right in; social stratification--you know, the things that this entire blog revolves around. But, I finally took a step back and tried to think of a transitional solution to this problem. I asked myself how I could possibly convince billionaires to reduce their massive profits to provide sensible, sustainable, clean energy solutions. Here is what I came up with:

To whom it may concern:

     It was recently calculated that several tons of arsenic are produced in the waste ash at your facility each year costing consumers millions in additional cleanup costs. While this is alarming by itself, perhaps even more frightening is the general lack of willingness among the biggest energy providers around the world to even consider a transition to other sources. So, I’ve come up with a proposition that could be the game-changer we need on this planet. A few things first, though.
     In the decades since WWII, the United States swiftly transitioned from a massive manufacturing economy to a massive service economy. But even the service industry has been overhauled recently by the rise of social media. Point blank: If your service sucks as a company in 2018, you’re going to fail faster than the time it takes to upload the viral video that destroys you. So, companies must remain at the cutting edge of social trends and keep up with consumer demand. That means meeting the wants and needs of customers—not creating monopolies and sacrificing the health of your customers and the environment in order to appease shareholders! Sure, people want (and, quite frankly, need) energy; but not at the expense of the planet their children will inherent one day. We’ve seen the charts; we’ve heard the arguments; and so have you. The data are clear. And we all know what the possibilities are with 21st century technology. So, enough with the obfuscation and doublespeak!
     When I make a purchase nowadays, there are three main things I look for in a product or service: Reliability, versatility, and quality. I want the product I purchase to actually function the way I was told it would and the services I purchase to actually be performed the way I was told. The products should also be multi-faceted and perform a wide range of functions in all-in-one packages while the services should follow suit. Finally, my products better last a long time and include lifetime warranties. Enough with planned obsolescence!
     In terms of energy, however, I have a slightly different outlook. That is, we currently have the technology and resources to transition into a global economy that produces 100% of its energy with clean, dependable, safe sources, such as solar, wind, wave, tidal, and geothermal. But, we willfully choose not to in lieu of creating markets for the shareholders of energy giants such as yours. This is wrong and detrimental to the greater population and we all know it. So, what can we do to compromise and move forward sustainably?
     The service sector I mentioned earlier is something in which you should seriously consider taking a larger role. It’s simple, really. What you can do is offer Swap-Out packages to homeowners and HOAs. Start the transition by creating a new market that offers both rentals and buy-outs for energy installation packages. Here’s how it might work:

1. Stop putting up ridiculous billboards that say things like, “Wind stops. The sun sets. Choose coal!” Seriously. I can’t even roll my eyes hard enough to convey just how idiotic that sounds.
   
2. Invest in, buy, or partner with solar, wind, wave, etc. companies.
   
3. Retrain your employees at the coal-burning facilities to install and maintain solar,
   wind, wave, etc. packages (depending upon region).

4. Work with governments (local, state, and federal) to create tax incentives to install the packages.
   
5. Create contracts with customers that offer at least three options:
   
   1. Rental: The contract would include tiers of payments based upon the size
      installation. The packages would still be owned by your company and liability insurance would be split between the renter and your company (that is fair and we both know it). Part of the rental fees would also go toward maintenance costs (i.e. hiring the retrained coal plant employees, veterans, etc.).
      
   2. Buy-out: This contract would include an option to actually sell energy back to the grid and would require the homeowner to carry their own liability insurance. The packages would be fully owned by the homeowner but the maintenance would, by law, have to be conducted by you. This, of course, requires a lifetime contract. (Yes, you read that correctly: lifetime contract.) This contract must have periodic renegotiation (say, every 5 years or so) to adjust for property sales, inflation, and other economic factors. This option not only guarantees jobs to maintain the new, on-site, mini-grids on the consumers’ properties, but it also should minimize the amount of resources used to maintain the larger grid already in place.
      
   3. College Option: This option pays the tuition of select students choosing to pursue a career in the field of energy production. The student will be fully trained to immediately enter the work force upon graduation. Paid internships and on-the-job training will be a requirement for completion.
      

     I realize the markets that have been created will be upset by these changes but let’s face facts and also realize that the planet itself doesn’t care about us. Or our markets. If we think that we can continue dumping millions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere without building carbon sinks and also without repercussion, then, quite frankly, we are an arrogant failure of a supposedly intelligent species and we deserve the onslaught of erratic weather and geological phenomena Earth has in store for us... But, as the leader of an energy giant capable of making the decisions to swiftly make this transition we need to make, the onus truly is on you to make it happen as quickly as possible. Make the right call. Be a leader.

Sincerely,

Kyle Benjamin