Green Energy News | February 10, 1997

February 10, 1997 – Vol.1 No.45

ENERGIES... week of February 10, 1997

FEBRUARY 11, 1997 is Thomas Alva Edison’s 150th birthday. The practical man of great vision is credited with the invention of the light bulb, the phonograph, the copying machine, the microphone and the alkaline storage battery, among others. While also credited with the invention of the electrical distribution system in use today, that invention should also be rightfully shared with industry magnate George Westinghouse and inventor Nikola Tesla.

The electrical power industry created by Edison and the others ranks third in size in the U.S., with automobiles and health care in the top spots. The United States is also the world’s largest user of energy in general, and now uses more than 3 trillion kilowatt hours per year of electricity alone - triple the amount from 1960, double that from 1970.

EDISON would have approved of the fledging movement back to electric cars. Some of the first cars were indeed battery powered, but were quickly overtaken by the power and range of gasoline powered horseless carriages. The Southern Company, the U.S.’s largest power company, announced this week that they will market and service Delco Electronics Magna Charge(tm) electric vehicle chargers in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle. The chargers, which sell for $2000-3000, were developed as part of the General Motors EV-1 program. The units are inductive chargers and are considered safe and easy to use by motorists.

GM and Delco would obviously like to set the standard for charging devices. A standard is needed for the rechargeable battery powered car to be successful in the marketplace. Southern will also be developing a public charging infrastructure in the Atlanta, Georgia area.

It looks as if these four states could be the next target areas by GM and Saturn for the introduction of their sporty two seater electric.

EDISON’s dream of the community power company could soon be realized under power deregulation. While Edison wanted local power generation and low voltage, Westinghouse wanted regional and high voltage. George obviously won the battle, but not the war.

Under deregulation all sorts of generating companies could be developed. Energy marketing consultants Frost and Sullivan expect only the low cost producers with the most effective marketing skills to survive. When deregulation hits your state be prepared for more telemarketing calls at dinner time.