Sustainable, Self-reliant Energy Production

Last week we talked about urban farming as an easy, healthy way for us to create a more self-reliant and locally centered community. This week, I want to continue this theme a bit by discussing another area of self-reliance – sustainable development policies. No, this is not some lecture about global warming or climate change, but rather about development policies that promote a sustainable way of life. Just like with our urban farms, a way of life that is focused on producing what we need and use locally.

Solar panels are an excellent example of sustainability. According to the Tennessee Valley Authority, “[solar] production ranges from four to 50 kilowatts. On average, a 10-kW [photovoltaic] system located in the Tennessee Valley will generate between 12,000 to 14,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a year, or a little more than the total amount of electricity used in a typical home.” Solar panels can also serve as water heaters circulating water through the panel heating up the water and circulating it back to your insulated water heater. When the electricity goes out, you’ll still be taking warm showers unlike the rest of us!

Locally, Security Federal has solar panels on the top of their building, which provide electricity back to the electric grid. Most people don’t even know they’re there because they cannot be seen. The Elizabethton Veterinary Clinic also has solar panels that help support the power usage in their building as well.

Another source of energy sustainability is wind energy. We’ve all heard of wind turbines that produce electricity. At a residential level, they are commonly small and typically rise just above the tree line. In some cities, policies have allowed commercial buildings to install turbines in order to capture the wind that might be just above the building line so long as they do not extend above a maximum height.

Looking at their application in conjunction with these sustainable techniques, energy efficient buildings magnify the self-reliance. Green buildings attempt to make the resources it uses extremely efficient. Milligan College has recently constructed the only green building that we have in the city. These buildings utilize LED lighting and occupancy sensors to reduce electric consumption, collect rainwater from the roof to use for landscape watering and commodes to reduce the amount of water consumption, and choose the placement with windows facing the southern sun to provide natural daylight and additional heat.

Some of these ideas can be expensive and some may sound a little crazy, but it not only makes your home and our community more self-reliant, it can also save you a lot of money! We may or may not be ready to move in this direction, but let’s start the conversation. Let’s talk about it!