Centralized Energy Distribution Must Go!!!

We will never be free of the problems associated with overall consumption increases due to events such as heat waves until we free ourselves from the yoke of centralized power grids.

The roving blackouts of summers past, and the blackout that hit NYC and much of the Northeast a while back were both products of a system that was designed (albiet improved upon) over 75 years ago.

These days we are already concerned with our "dependance on foreign oil", or so our politicians say... so why not take that concern two steps further and kill 3 birds with 1 stone?

Personal or Commercial Building-wide photovoltaic systems (solar panels that generate electricity instead of heating water) have become cheaper, more widely available, and have even had some tax credits associated with them in recent years.

If you are sick of blackouts and have the money, or can take out a small loan, you can get your building enough photovoltaics to generate surplus energy in the sunny months of Summer, when most blackouts occur. You could then sell that energy back to the electric company for a profit, or use it for credits to obtain electricity from them in the darker winter months.

Whether you make money off of this endeavor or not, it would:

1) Protect you from summer blackouts on the hottest (almost by definition, sunny) days.

2) Reduce our dependance on foreign oil.

3) Reduce CO2 emissions, thus reducing your personal contribution to global climate change and overall pollution.