The Caveman, the Devil’s Tools, and the Grid (Encore)

Probably True Solar Stories

Two teenagers are having a private moment in the hills above a utility substation when suddenly they happen upon a terrorist intent on bringing down their local grid. Will the teens escape and defeat the terrorist? Yes, but only with the help of modern-day cleantech resources...
True Solar Takeaways

• Terrorists have been attempting to disrupt the grid by firing rifle shots at the transformers of utility substations. Here are some news clips about these incidents:
  • FBI thwarts neo-Nazi plot to attack Baltimore Gas & Electric substations, ‘completely destroy’ city
  • Mass power outage in North Carolina caused by gunfire, repairs could take days
  • Attacking the grid
• Yes, indeed. There is a "Smart Summon" mode on your Tesla, but you need to be close by. Behold.
• The smart homes of the future are here, not in the future. There are many, many companies that offer app connections that can control just about anything in your house through wi-fi and smart plugs, including the coffee maker, the TV, lights, stereos, and of course garage door openers. Pretty much everything.
• If you've only installed solar on your roof, you will generally not be able to use the solar generation, even if the blackout occurs when the sun is shining. That's because your solar power will backfeed into the grid and endanger the line-people who are fixing transmission wires, so your inverter will cut off your solar production. There are a few inverters that will "island" and route power to your home and not the grid. Check with your installer.
• If you want your solar power to back you up, day or night, you'll need to install a battery.
• However, whole home backup is rare--and expensive. Instead, you can tell your solar+battery installer about the "critical loads" that will be available during a blackout, and he'll configure your battery to keep those things running. Typically, it's the lights, refrigerator, and other small appliances. The size of your battery will partly determine how many hours those things will stay on. Of course, the more things you use during a blackout, the fewer hours of backup battery usage you'll have. Also, if you include high-intensity loads like air conditioning or a pool pump, you'll quickly use up your battery power in very few hours.

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