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Forty propane tanks. My family utilized the tanks to power our home during Hurricane Sandy. It was sufficient to keep the house’s primary functions running for a portion of each day. The backup generator we had, powered by propane and the massive chunk of metal that is positioned in front of our home, making a loud engine noise, had been the only solution available in the early 2000s. As anyone who has experienced a prolonged power outage will be able to tell you, the appeal of sitting in candlelight is quickly lost.
Then again, we weren’t the only ones affected: Nearly 20% of single-family homes in the United States experienced power outages in 2015. The market for generators is growing even more today and in 2019, generator companies have reported that sales have «skyrocketed» without any indication of slowing. This is due to climate-related natural catastrophes becoming increasingly common and the possibility of prolonged power outages growing across the entire country. There’s plenty of catastrophes to be found on the East Coast, including snowstorms and hurricanes, and the West Coast, which has wildfires and tornado country, making a reliable backup plan for power is crucial in 2020. What I didn’t know until recently was the extent of the damage that a backup generator can cause to the environment and the health of people around it. Three popular generator fuel types that include propane, diesel, gasoline — all emit carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas and carbon monoxide. These can be deadly. The exhaust from diesel generators is also a source of more than 40 airborne toxic contaminants, including known carcinogens, and air pollution like nitrogen oxide. This can contribute to the creation of the smog. The U.S. has millions of generators on backup generator See Generator Alley, meaning that the carbon footprint and the effects on air quality are enormous. Not just that, by contributing to climate change, generators are the root of such severe natural disasters in the beginning. More than 900 Americans were admitted to hospitals between 2005 and 2017. Most of these cases were caused by generators that were not properly set up inside, there have been some cases where generators were wrongly installed outside. A backup generator is not something that anyone would want to put at risk. So if there was an alternative that was safer and less harmful to backup generators, it makes sense to switch as quickly as is possible. This easy and secure solution is to use backup home batteries. Backup batteries in your home can provide power to your home using renewable energy when paired with solar panels. Combining solar panels on site and backup batteries can theoretically provide energy for an indefinite time. This is different from generators that need to recharged using dirty fuel every couple of hours. Even in the midst of a winter storm, solar panels may not be as effective in snow, but coupled with a battery they can still power parts of your house during a power interruption. As with all green energy technology they are constantly striving to improve and become more effective, efficient and cost-effective. The backup battery is a great choice, as it offers all the benefits without the disadvantages of generators. Yet for most people it has come with an obstacle of a major magnitude: cost. While they’re cheaper than generators solar-powered batteries are costly at first. Smart public policy can lower the cost in the short run while helping the battery storage industry to attain economies of scale and bringing down costs for all. In 2016, in the first of these policies in the United States state regulators for utilities in Vermont approved an energy storage program that allows customers to lease backup batteries. The program allows customers to lease a Tesla Powerwall for 10 years for $55 per month instead of purchasing the entire $6,500. Even when the grid is not operational, a battery or solar system can be connected to it in order to store excess energy and sell it to utility companies. Vermont offers a separate energy storage program which allows those who have a backup battery to receive up to $10,500 in energy storage, if they allow utilities to utilize the energy stored. Programs like Vermont’s are an improvement in the right direction and all states should be pursuing similar or even stronger policies that encourage homeowners to use battery storage. States across the nation should also establish higher standards for emissions to dissuade generators that emit excessive emissions. With the backup generator industry increasing at a higher rate each year, the stakes for health and the environment are growing. It’s the ideal time to consider switching to renewable battery backup and energy sources to ensure that we’re prepared for any prolonged power outages.