A Solar Tree grows in London
Designed to mimic the City of London, CanadaÂ’s logo, the Tourism LondonÂ’s Solar Tree is a more than 8 metre tall structure featuring 27 leaves, each of which contains a solar panel.
This structure – along with three other, pole-mounted solar panels – can produce 8.6 kilowatts of electricity, enough to provide for about half the electricity needs of the Tourism London offices.
As far as the cost of the system – $160,000 - Tourism London is quick to point out that it will come at no cost whatsoever to the taxpayer, as over the course of a 10-year contract, recently signed with the Ontario Power Authority’s microFIT program, the Solar Tree system will more than save enough in utility costs to offset the purchase price, and will create a $165,000 profit.
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Major U.S. utilities spending more on electricity delivery, less on power production
WASHINGTON - Over the past decade, major utilities in the United States have been spending more on delivering electricity to customers and less on producing that electricity.
After adjusting for inflation, major utilities spent 2.6 cents per kilowatthour (kWh) on electricity delivery in 2010, using 2020 dollars. In comparison, spending on delivery was 65% higher in 2020 at 4.3 cents/kWh. Conversely, utility spending on power production decreased from 6.8 cents/kWh in 2010 (using 2020 dollars) to 4.6 cents/kWh in 2020.
Utility spending on electricity delivery includes the money spent to build, operate, and maintain the electric wires, poles, towers, and meters that…
