Whidbey Islanders have made some impressive preparations for the future in recent months.
We’re talking about a future when we’re much less dependent on oil, foreign or domestic, and can run our automobiles on electricity.
Whidbey Telecom’s new building in Freeland is covered by solar panels, running the proverbial electric meter backwards at times. In other words, under the right conditions they can produce more power than the facility needs. The rest goes to other Puget Sound Energy customers.
Solar panels on business and residential roofs are no longer a novelty on Whidbey Island. A home being built by Coupeville will come close to being “net zero,” in other words producing about as much power as it uses. Beyond that, the home is expected to produce enough solar energy to power their electric car for up to 6,000 miles a year.
At the Greenbank Farm, local investors have built a solar array that’s much more than a toy. It’ll generate enough energy to power a number of homes.
It’s not just about solar power, either. Snohomish County PUD is setting up a fascinating experiment off Central Whidbey’s west side where a huge “open hydro turbine” will be planted on the bottom of Admiralty Inlet for several years to test the safety and efficacy of the technology. Just one turbine will generate 300 kilowatts of energy or enough to power 250 homes.
Whidbey Island is the perfect place for alternative energy technology, perhaps including wind if acceptable sites can be found. The one thing we’re lacking in quantity is sunshine, but even our limited supply makes some solar projects pencil out, particularly when government subsidies are involved.
Meanwhile, auto manufacturers around the world are bringing all-electric cars to the market. Owners just plug them in and go. If a fully charged electric motor is good for 60 to 100 miles, most Whidbey Island commuters could make it to work and back on a single charge. If not, places like Whidbey Telecom and the China City restaurants in Freeland and Oak Harbor already have plug-in facilities in place.
People riding in horse-powered carriages used to laugh at those noisy contraptions called automobiles. But it didn’t take more than a few decades for the horse and carriage to become a novelty. Something similar is happening on Whidbey Island. In 20 or 30 years, gas-powered behemoths will hopefully be confined to the North Whidbey Car Show.
