I was in Brooksville this morning, recording radio ads for a Tampa Bay Solar commercial at 99.9 WWJB on the FM dial. They also interviewed me on the morning radio show, I talked with the host about my Ukraine trip back in April and my work with Tampa Bay Solar.
And you can’t visit Brooksville without getting breakfast here:
Already got a call in from a guy up in that area who heard my radio interview this morning!
Five years ago when I joined Tampa Bay Solar I was primarily selling to left leaning folks who had a Prius in the driveway. Those folks are still buying solar, and we love ’em for it… but in the last year or so I’ve been selling to more right wing, gun owning, Christian folks.
Hence my trip to WWJB, the Fox News Radio affiliate in Hernando county.
Over the next month I’m spending $1,000 (of my own money) on radio ads to find the GOP voting, land owning, freedom loving folks who want a huge solar array powering up a battery bank… in case the Chinese shut down the power grid…
I call these the “Zombie Apocalypse” systems.
Since I’m a gun owning, freedom loving Christian… I’m a good fit to sell to this demographic.
Gotta love the classic design of the 1911…. but I digress.
I think solar is good for the wallet no matter what you think about climate change.
Why pay the electric company $40,000 over the next decade when you can generate that much power with a ground array, or up on the roof of your barn?
If we get results from this ad campaign I’ll stretch it out for the next year or so.
Just one sale per month would cover the cost of the ads.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that was passed in August of 2022 is a gamechanger for the solar industry across the United States, and beneficial for our economy as a whole.
The IRA will spur the growth of rooftop solar just as electric utilities across the United States are forced to increase prices over the next 5 years.
The price Americans pay per kilowatt of utility electricity is closely tied to global natural gas price fluctuations, and indirectly connected to global oil prices.
As of 2021 39% of the electricity in the United States was generated from natural gas turbines.
These turbines can be quickly adjusted to meet variations in demand across the power grid, and combined with the lower price of natural gas over the last 20 years, natural gas has been a clear winner for utility shareholders and their customers as well.
In 2021 the United States produced 934 billion cubic meters (BCM) of natural gas, the highest producer of natural gas in the world, and 88% of that production was used domestically.
The second highest producer of natural gas in 2021 was Russia, with 701 BCM produced. Russia was the 2nd highest producer, yet the largest global exporter of natural gas. Germany, for instance, is highly reliant on natural gas exported directly from Russia.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022 disrupted the peacetime trade in natural gas, which has caused an increase in natural gas prices globally since February.
In 2021 global natural gas consumption grew by 3.3%, making 2021 a record year for natural gas consumption, at 4,103 BCM used globally.
One way that electric utilities can hedge against volatility in natural gas prices is to install large solar farms within their utility footprint. TECO currently has 6.4 million solar panels in 15 huge solar farms across Pasco, Hillsborough and Polk Counties. Florida Power & Light has a “30 million panels by 2030” plan that will build out the power grid in South Florida and transition our state away from fossil fuels.
Only 10% of rooftop solar installs in Florida are on individual homes, the other 90% is represented by these large grid-scale solar farms installed by the electric utilities.
The price of the build out for these large utility scale solar farms is being passed on to FPL and TECO customers in the form of rate hikes.
TECO customers experienced an 18% rate hike in 2021.
In essence, these electric companies in Florida and across the United States are installing hundreds of thousands of panels and using money from their client base to fund their long term expansion. Once the utility pays off the cost of these solar farms will they pass on the savings to their consumers?
This is highly unlikely.
The only way the average homeowner can realistically reduce their electricity costs long term is to either reduce consumption to zero or install solar on their property.
Here at Tampa Bay Solar we have installed over 1,000 systems, from large ground mounted solar arrays with extensive off-grid battery back-ups on farms in Brooksville to grid-tied solar arrays on rooftops in Riverview.
Economic Benefits of Solar
In August of 2022 the Inflation Reduction Act extended the 30% federal tax credit for solar on residential and commercial buildings. The IRA also made the 30% tax credit retroactive to all solar installs completed in 2022.
The 30% tax credit will continue to keep solar prices down and make solar more available for middle class homeowners. The IRA also includes a tax credit for buyers of used electric cars, which makes EV’s more affordable for lower-income Americans.
Here at Tampa Bay Solar we are seeing a huge uptick in customers who buy electric cars then add rooftop solar to their home. This is not only beneficial to our clients’ wallets, but also reduces the amount of fossil fuels used to power their house and car.
More rooftop solar equals less natural gas needed for the production of electricity, and more electric cars on the road equals less gasoline needed for ground transportation across the United States.
Even with solar on every roof and all ground transportation converted to kilowatts, there will still be a need for fossil fuels in jet planes, making plastic products, home heating, and basic lubrication for machinery.
Using solar to reduce our domestic consumption of oil and natural gas today will reap huge economic benefits when the rest of the world runs out of these finite resources and has to buy them from American fossil fuel producers.
At the consumer level consider a homeowner who reduces their electric bill by $300 per month, and also saves $200 per month in gasoline costs by driving an electric vehicle.
These homeowners who own electric cars can reap a 4 year ROI on their rooftop solar array when one factors in gasoline AND utility savings.
The Inflation Reduction Act will encourage EV and rooftop solar ownership, thus making the American economy far stronger in the long run.
Contributing to a Solar-Powered Future
If you own a home with full sun on your roof a solar array from Tampa Bay Solar might be a good fit for you.
We primarily use Mission solar panels manufactured in San Antonio, Texas.
We are doing our part to use American-made products when possible, and Mission panels have proven to be the MOST reliable panels we’ve ever installed, with zero failed panels to date.
Our goal when working with clients is to install the MOST reliable and time tested solution for your specific needs, at a competitive cost.
Tampa Bay Solar uses OUR OWN employees to install our work, we are NOT a marketing company subbing out work to the least expensive (and least reliable) sub-contractor.
We feel that the highest quality work comes from doing work in-house, with experienced installers who have grown their skill level across many years, on hundreds of jobs here at Tampa Bay Solar.
Many of our installers are veterans from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or Coast Guard.
We’re proud to employ the young men and women who served our country with honor and distinction.
When you call us for a price we will ask you about your roof type and average power bill and give you a price over the phone, upfront.
The United States produces 16,500 barrels of oil daily, the largest producer of oil on the planet. Most of that oil is purchased domestically, with 12% of American oil being sold on the export market.
The USA is also the top producer of natural gas, producing 934 billion cubic meters in 2021.
39% of our national power grid uses natural gas turbines to generate electricity, so the majority of our natural gas production is also used right here in the United States. As rooftop solar becomes commonplace there will be less need to burn fossil fuels to generate electricity.
This is also true for electric cars, as more drivers replace a gasoline powered vehicle with a fully electric vehicle. For EV drivers with (paid off) rooftop solar they are essentially fueling their vehicles off sunshine!
A small solar array on every home and business, combined with 1 electric car in every driveway would allow the United States to export more oil and natural gas, which would make the US dollar stronger and grow our economy even further.
In 2022 the USA is expected to exceed $25 trillion in GDP, in a global economy with a total of $100 trillion in economic output. Americans represent 4% of the global population yet produce 25% of the global wealth!
The United States has had the largest economy in the world since 1871, and as the top producer of oil and natural gas we are poised to maintain our economic dominance for many years to come.
As this blog is being written the Inflation Reduction Act has been passed by the Senate and is moving through Congress this week, with the expectation that it will be passed and signed by President Biden soon after. One part of this Act is an extension of the 30% federal tax credit for solar, a measure that will continue to keep solar prices down and make solar more available for middle class homeowners. There is also a tax credit for buyers of used electric cars, which makes EV’s more affordable for lower income Americans.
There is a shortage of electric cars on the market due to high demand as well as the computer chip shortage resulting from the Covid pandemic. As the chip shortage is mitigated there will be more EV’s available for sale, and eventually these new cars will show up far cheaper on the used marketplace.
At Tampa Bay Solar we’re seeing a huge uptick in customers who buy electric cars then add rooftop solar to their home. This is not only beneficial to our client’s wallets, but also reduces the amount of fossil fuels used to power that house and that car.
We primarily use Mission solar panels manufactured in San Antonio, Texas. We are doing our part to use American made products when possible, and Mission panels have proven to be the MOST reliable panels we’ve ever installed, with zero failed panels to date.
Even with solar on every roof and all ground transportation converted to kilowatts there will still be a need for fossil fuels in jet planes, making plastic products, home heating, and basic lubrication for machinery. There will be a global demand for fossil fuels even 50 years from now, so if the United States can pump LESS oil now that oil will be sold in future dollars at a high premium.
In this regard reducing our domestic consumption of oil and natural gas today will reap huge economic benefits when the rest of the world runs out of these finite resources and has to buy them from American fossil fuel producers.
The Inflation Reduction Act will encourage EV and rooftop solar ownership, thus making the American economy far stronger in the long run.
The USA has had the largest economy on the planet since 1871.
Our projected GDP for 2022 is 25.3 trillion dollars, while the global economy is right at 100 trillion.
There are 330 million people in the USA out of 8 billion people around the globe, so our little 4% population represents a full 25% of the global economy.
4% of the global population generates 25% of the global economic output!
The 2nd place for GDP goes to China, at 19.9 trillion for 2022.
China’s GDP is impressive, but China is now cracking down on basic freedoms and asking all foreign nationals to leave their country… history shows that countries that rule by authoritarian government do not prosper, grow, or attract foreign investment.
China was on an aggressive GDP growth path from 1990 until about 2013, but the current authoritarian dictatorship running the Chinese Communist Party does not bode well for continued economic growth or freedom in China.
There also exists a massive Chinese real estate bubble artificially propped up by government spending… empty ghost cities that will never return a profit to the investors who put their life savings into these failed projects.
BTW… distant 3rd for GDP goes to Japan with $4.9 trillion… far behind China and the USA.
TWO.
Our military has the best technology, hands down.
The F-35 5th gen fighter jet was developed here in the United States, and that technology is already 15 years old. I would not be surprised if our Defense Department has some extremely advanced technology that is being kept secret until we actually have to use it.
The USA spends $720+ billion a year on defense, by far the largest miltary spending on the planet, but when your GDP is 25 trillion that’s not such a large number.
We remain the only country with a large enough military to fight a global war on 2 fronts.
Our military is prepared to fight Russia (alongside NATO) in Eastern Europe while also fighting China…. when they invade Taiwan in the next few years.
THREE.
In 2021 the USA pumped 16,500 barrels of oil per day, making us the largest oil producer in the world.
Saudi Arabia was 2nd place at 10,900 barrels, Russia a close 3rd with 10,800 barrels per day.
Most of that oil is consumed right here in the USA, so we are not sending US dollars OUT of the country to buy oil from foreign regimes.
This is one of the reasons the US dollar just hit 1 to 1 parity with the Euro.
Some of the oil produced here is exported to Asia, South America and Europe, which further adds to our GDP.
FOUR.
With 4% of the global population here in the USA we harvest 8.4% of the global wheat supply.
In contrast China harvests 17% of the global wheat supply but the Chinese people consume 19% of that same number.
If China stops importing wheat there could be widespread famine across their country.
With our wheat surplus here in the USA we have food security.
FIVE.
We have 2 massive oceans to the east and west, a natural barrier to invasion.
Those oceans are guarded by nuclear submarines and 11 nuclear powered aircraft carriers… with F-35 and F-22 fighter jets ready to launch at a moment’s notice.
SIX.
Our neighbors to the north and south are friendly.
Canada is too polite to invade and Mexico is busy fighting their own homegrown drug cartels.
Also, neither Canada nor Mexico has to worry about the USA invading their country. Not in this century, anyway.
If Canada or Mexico ever invaded US soil our military would obliterate them in days if not hours.
SEVEN.
The USA has been a immigration magnet for the last 200 years.
My hard-drinking Irish and German ancestors came here in the 1860’s to fight in the Civil war, build infrastructure and get in drunken fights in bars all over the Northeast.
Our entire space program after WWII was staffed with German and Jewish rocket scientists.
Immigrants from India have been the backbone of the American software industry for the last 40 years.
Korean and Chinese immigrants came here to start small businesses, and their children became a 2nd generation of doctors and engineers.
My ex wife came here from Taiwan to work as a teacher and realtor.
My next wife came here from Ukraine and works in the shipping business… we’re getting married in the spring btw…
The USA has been a place where talented immigrants like Sergey Brin and Elon Musk came here to start multiple companies, innovate and add to our huge GDP.
EIGHT.
Americans are really frickin’ creative.
This is where Jazz, Blue Grass, Hip Hop and social media was invented.
The modern power grid was invented here in the United States… so was the Internet!
There exists a creative energy that comes from a society with a mix of people from all over the world, coming together and doing cool shit.
Part of this massive creativity comes from our freedom to do whatever we want, worship or not worship any religion… if you have a creative idea you can come to the USA and use that idea to start a business, make money, and come up with more creative ideas.
NINE.
Our population continues to grow.
In China the population has SHRUNK since 2018, down to 1.4 billion from 1.5 in 2010.
The population of Japan, Russia and Italy are also shrinking in similar fashion to China…
Young people in those countries are not having children as much as previous generations.
These countries will eventually have a large mass of retired people living off government pensions with barely enough middle aged and younger people paying into the taxbase to support them!
In general retired folks are not innovationg, starting new companies or hiring new employees.
In the United States our Hispanic / Spanish speaking population is our fastest growing demographic, going from 12% in 2010 to 20% in the 2020 census.
The USA can use immigration to add younger people to our population, even if our natural born citizens are having fewer children.
Young people pay taxes, invent new stuff, start new companies and help grow the economy.
If the USA wants to remain a dominant superpower we should allow for MORE immigration, especially young people who already have a college degree.
I’m pro-immigration as long as those folks are law abiding and willing to work.
TEN.
There is corruption in every country, but for the most part Americans (and American companies) are known globally for being honest and getting the job done.
Elon Musk was born in South Africa, but he came to the USA to start Paypal, Tesla and SpaceX.
Corruption here in the USA is the exception, not the rule… after working in many American businesses over the last 28 years I have never had anyone try to bribe me, and I’ve never had anyone ask me for a bribe.
In contrast I’ve heard many stories about rampant pay offs and corruption from friends who have done international business in Eastern Europe, Africa or South America.
There are still lying and cheating Americans, but for the most part we are known for being straightforward and honest in our business dealings.
There exists a legal system in the United States that allows a citizen to sue a business if their product is dangerous and causes injury or death. This system is occasionally abused, but it keeps companies in check when it comes to offering safer products and services.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I hope you like the stats I’ve compiled here, we don’t have a perfect country, but it still beats everywhere else when one looks at macroeconomic factors.
I’ve spent time in Europe, Asia and Central America and these varied adventures have given me a unique perspective on what we got right and what we need to change in this country.
I had been thinking about buying a “weekend” car for the last few months, and I was looking at full electric cars… but they were all priced over $40,000, so I bought a used Acura TLX for just under $20K.
We needed another vehicle for the Ukranian Delegation, another factor in my decision.
For high mileage days I’m still using the Volt, but otherwise the Volt is there so Olga can have a car and do her own thing as needed. She works in the shipping business part time from home on her laptop for now, but that may change once her work visa goes through.
Before I bought my Volt back in 2017 I owned a Avalon with a V-6 and loved it.
The TLX has a 3.5 liter V6 that cranks 290 horsepower, and the car is tight, right and solid at 130 mph. I feel like the Japanese carmakers have really perfected the modern V6. My Acura does 100 mph at only 2100 rpm! That’s just crazy… but electric cars are going to take over in the next decade and a gas powered V6 engine will become antiquated technology.
Funny thing is how the acceleration in the Acura with the V6 is about the same as the Volt on all electric mode, but the Volt has a smoother delivery. My Volt is SMOOTHER than my Acura!
Even the best gas powered transmission is not as smooth as an electric powertrain.
By the time I need another car I’ll find a 100% electric car on the used market that is finally affordable.
Right now I can’t justify spending $40K on something with wheels. I’m cheap.
For under $20K the Acura was a good buy:
The previous owner really kept it clean and unmolested. I’ve changed nothing on it, windows were already dark tinted when I bought it. The car was bought in Florida in 2015, so there are no salt / rust issues underneath.
Acura is a Honda engineered product and I’m a huge fan of their motorcycles, I owned a CB1000r for several years:
I wish I had kept this bike longer… but I traded up to a ZX-14R… another blog post altogether!
From 1996 until 2015 I owned a 1978 Honda that refused to die:
If everything was engineered like Honda / Acura there would be far less work for auto mechanics everywhere. Fer sure.
I don’t have a good pic of my Dad in my computer, but here is a pic of me and Claire instead…
She was 8 here? Not sure. Claire is 24 now, all grown up.
I wanted to sit down and write a handwritten letter to my father this morning, but then I thought it might be better if I posted it right here for the entire world to see:
Dear Dad,
Today is Father’s Day, and I’m tremendously grateful to see you and Mom at church this morning, then later today for dinner.
You and Mom are an energetic 73, another thing I’m very grateful for!
You and Mom are such a huge blessing in my life, and I’m glad you live right here in Florida so that we see each other frequently.
Now that my own girls have reached adulthood and are successfully “launched” I’m even more appreciative of what you and Mom did in raising 4 children to adulthood…. and beyond.
None of us were charged with a felony!
It’s not easy, and every stage of parenthood has unique challenges. You and Mom raised an FBI agent, a Registered Nurse, a Fashion Designer…. and whatever the heck I turned out to be!
I know I was wild teen and a huge pain in the ass, but you both supported me when I went to Taiwan, started a goofy balloon business, and more recently went to Ukraine. You both put up with a LOT, most of which I will not detail here due to federal secrecy regulations.
You both provided me an example of what it means to embrace responsibility, love your family and also serve the community, especially your work with our local school and in our church community.
You stayed together in your (53 year!) marriage, even despite challenges.
Now that I’m 48 I’ve come to realize that the BEST men in our society do what you did; accept responsibility, work hard, and love your family.
You went to church to support Mom, even though you were not a very churchy type of guy.
Over 53 years that amounts to 2,756 Sunday services!
That’s a whole lotta Sundays! You must love Mom a lot.
You also earned good money, kept the house nice, and took care of Mom.
A real man takes care of his wife and kids, even if it means waking up at 5AM and driving to a nuclear power plant in a Toyota Corolla with a gazillion miles on it.
You’re still working now, as an unpaid maintenance guy at Harvester Methodist!
There are men in my generation who did not have fathers, or grew up in the turmoil of divorce. Those men did not have the benefit of the example you provided for me, and they are worse off for it.
As Greg the Famous Prison Guard once told me:
“All the guys in my prison had ONE THING in common: no fathers around.”
Dad, you were always around, working 2 jobs sometimes… my entire life.
So on this Father’s Day I’m thanking you, publically…. right here on my blog.
During my time in Lviv I saw this violinist performing in the city square, several times.
He’s very skilled, he would perform many hours, getting tips from me and hundreds of others.
One morning I struck up a conversation with him, he told me he escaped Bucha with his family just before the Russians rolled into town. I asked him if I could take this close up picture.
He told me several friends (his age) had been murdered by the Russians invading his hometown.
Then he picked up his violin, and played beautiful music.
He narrowly escaped a sure death, but many did not.
As a country, as a planet, we have to put safeguards in place so that murderous dictators think twice before targeting civilians.
I look at this young man’s face and I’m crying for all the young men and women who did NOT escape.
All that mileage on the tires is really starting to show… my chassis was stamped in 1974…..
Got three solar appointments today, 2nd appointment is out in Highlands County FL…. way out in the boonies. Most folks take off on their birthday, but I like selling solar and fer sure I’m closing at least one deal today, making a few shekels.
I like to work. Being productive makes me happy.
Mom and Dad are having me over for dinner, and I’m fasting all day, so dinner will be awesome… my brother George (newly retired from the federal government) will be there, along with his son, a track star down at University of Tampa.
I’m proud of my brother, for his successful career… and also for the fact that he raised a son who is an accomplished athlete, great student, and all around nice young man.
If I had a son I would have wanted him to turn out like my nephew.
God forbid if I had a son and he was a maniac like me…. oy!
**************************************
A week ago I was watching some news about the Ukraine invasion… so I bought a round trip ticket to Warsaw and decided to volunteer with the International Red Cross.
Still working out the details on this trip, but the first step was to just take action and buy the ticket.
My daughters are grown up, I got no pets, no wife… and the Navy SEAL who runs Tampa Bay Solar, Steve Rutherford, has given me his blessing.
When I told him about the trip he said “You’ll have plenty of work when you get back.”
That’s all I needed to hear.
My daughters are mad at me for putting myself in danger, so I have to get back home safe to them, and I will.
Perhaps they don’t understand that I need to do this, on many levels.
I can’t imagine staying home, just selling solar, knowing that I could have gone over and contributed, in some way.
I’ll write about the experience, of course.
Got a brand new Samsung phone that takes stellar pics, so there’s that.
Back in 2018 I bought a cheap phone with a crappy camera… this new phone is a huge leap in technology, the camera is just astounding.
I’m finally slogging through my third book, the Ukraine / Poland trip might just be a chapter in the book… or it might be an entire book on its own. Like the first 2 books I’ll self publish. I just got a royalty check from Amazon for $13!
I have no idea who is buying my first 2 books.
That’s my Claire on the cover of my first book, she was 14 at the time… the little girl is the daughter of the local photographer who took the pic.
Sometimes you have to go where you feel called.
In 1995 I booked a one way plane ticket to Taiwan and everyone in my life thought I was nutz, but I came back in one piece… and Claire and Grace would NOT have existed if I had not gone there, met Rachel, etc. etc.
God has a plan here, I have no idea where this will lead.
I’m writing this in my home office on a Friday night at 10PM; the front window is open with a nice breeze flowing in, I’m listening to Chopin… I can hear the crickets singing in my front yard.
It’s peaceful.
I grew up in family of six; 4 kids, 2 parents… got married and my daughter was born soon after, then her sister. There were always people around me, for the first 47 years of my life.
After my daughter moved out 2 months ago (and took my cat) I realized that this is the first time in 47 years I’ve lived totally and completely ALONE.
No family, no roomates.
Zero pets, for now.
If I die in my sleep it will be several days before I’m found. If I ride out on my motorcycle and fly into a ditch (or a pond by the road) they won’t find me for WEEKS, if ever.
Could happen, right?
When my friend Marcus bet me $5K to stay date free / woman free until July 5th it felt like the craziest idea in the world… but after really cogitating on the idea I realized that Marcus is really teaching me how to be joyful in my solitude.
I’m not MISSING anything; I’m closing solar deals, hanging out with an eclectic group of friends and making many NEW friends in comedy, selling Goin’ Postal franchises, lifting weights, swimming, doing comedy, rehearsing for a musical, doing lotsa writing right here… even going to church on Sunday morning.
Since dating is NOT an option I’m working on my friendships.
I’m really lucky, really fortunate to live the life that I have.
Ben Alexander writes. 