April 2008
Global Warming: A Global Impact
April showers bring May flowers immediately came to mind when I started writing this month’s column, which is in contrast to all of the cold weather that we have had this winter. Based on the number of high bill questions we have received these past couple of months the cold weather is evident to you too. We appreciate the questions, comments and concerns relating to your electrical usage and I will be the first to admit that we can’t explain exactly where, when and how you used your electricity every hour, day and month, but with our automated metering equipment it sure helps us pinpoint when you started using more and how much of a change it was on a day by day basis. On my own personal basis my home used more electricity in the past three months then I have ever used and we have heard that same comment from several of you. Of course that means my bill, like yours, is higher due to additional usage levels then it has ever been. PEAK energy levels were set by our power suppliers on Wednesday February 20, 2008 due to the minus 20 below temperatures and extremely cold wind chills. It looks like our PEAK will be about 15% higher this year as compared to the same period in 2007 and that usage levels are up about another 3.5% in February over January of 2008. Overall, we want you to know that weather is the main driver in your monthly electric bill and that you have the control in how much you use at the flip of your switch.
That leads me into the next segment of my comments this month relating to the frenzy in D.C. relating to the issues surrounding the topic of “Global Warming”. My son, who attends USD quizzed me about the issue of climate change and global warming at the dinner table one night. Amazed at his questions, I asked him why he was so interested and he indicated that there was a committee being set up on campus to discuss and debate this issue in more detail and he wanted to know more about it from my perspective in relation to an electricity utility. We proceeded to have a good discussion on all the issues relating to this topic and how it is a global issue, not solely an item or issue that is limited to the continental United States and must encompass all nations and not just the American consumer. We talked about the major cost implications that this issue will have on industries ranging from the most abundant natural resource in the United States, coal to the automobile industry. In relation to this, I recently saw an article that claims just the opposite of global warming indicating that we are at the end of a warming period that began in the 17th Century and that our global temperature has leveled off over the past 10 years. That article indicated that the primary driver of climate change is solar activity which is many times more powerful then the energy produced by the whole of humankind.
To be completely honest with you this is an extremely emotional topic and if alarmists get there way we will be seeing some sizeable impacts in the cost of the electricity that we purchase for your everyday needs. In the United States 54% of the electricity is generated from coal. As a member of Southeastern that number is closer to 80% due to the abundance of coal in North Dakota and Wyoming. I think it is also interesting to note that as your power supplier we have invested heavily in environmental technologies, wind, biomass, waste heat recovery and other methods to help protect our environment. In fact our power supplier, Basin Electric Power Cooperative happens to be the largest carbon sequestering utility in the World by utilizing state of the art technology at the Dakota Gasification Plant which converts coal into natural gas. This plant is one of only a few in the world that does this and also sequesters carbon and ships it to Canada where it is pumped into the ground for storage and to help with the removal of oil.
This all reminds me of the article I recently read titled “Do We Ever Learn”. It covered the issue that we have made huge advances in energy efficiency such as today’s cars average mileage per gallon improving nearly 30% since 1980, but that has been offset by a 45% increase in the number of light trucks on the road that get 25% worse fuel mileage than a car. It also mentioned the increases in energy efficient appliances for our home, farms and businesses have increased 17% in efficiency for air conditioning and 10% increase in refrigeration, but that the number of these appliances is up over 20%. The whole point of mentioning this is that we are more energy efficient today than ever, but we use energy and electricity in more ways. Instead of throwing that old refrigerator out, we put it in the garage to keep our water or “other” beverages cold and have therefore doubled our energy consumption. When looking at your monthly electrical bill I encourage you to look at what all gets done for that money on a day by day basis and I also encourage you to use electricity wisely by participating in our off peak programs, buying energy efficient appliances and shutting things off if you don’t need them.
Till next month remember to be safe around electric lines, both overhead and underground. Safety in general is a frame of mind and we want you to think SAFETY in whatever you are doing!