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The devices which are most imponant for the health, safety, economic well being of the public are 

 among these DC loads. These include burglar and fire alarms, computers, information systems 

 (telephones, radio, etc.), adequate lighting, gas fired furnaces and stoves, etc. Even though BPA and 

 utilities have invested very heavily trying (o prevent power outages, they still do occur and the public is 

 spending considerable additional nnoney on "nonintcrruptable power supplies" for the devices they deem 

 critical. 



The piesent metfaod of powering these DC loads is to rectify and tnmsfonn the 120 V AC. 

 However, many of the loads, particularly the transistors, are very sensitive to fluctuations in their power. 

 The rectifiers that connect them to the giid are very nonlinear devices which perturb the AC power grid. 

 Many otho- loads also perturb the AC power grid. Thus, BPA and utilities now spend a lot of money 

 trying to maintain a pure sinusoidal AC power grid for the benefit very sensitive loads, which generally 

 require low voltage DC. 



Among the alternative energy sources, solar panels naturally produce DC and wind power 

 generators can now be made about equally practically as AC or DC sources. Bodi types nonnally use 

 batteries for energy storage, which are DC devices. However, BPA and nnost utilities plan to integrate 

 what alternative energy source they do acquire into their single AC grid by converting the DC to AC, 

 conditioning and phase matching it None of these conversion steps is very efficient or inexpensive. 



It makes more sense to provide customers with two power systems: the present AC and a new 

 DC system. The new DC source might run at either 12 or 4« volts (die present or the future automotive 

 standard). Just as the previous two prong household wiring was converted to die three prong system, it 

 would be possible to replace the present three conductor wiring witfi five conductor wiring and diree 

 piong sockets replaced with five prong sockets. DC loads would be powered from the DC service and 

 AC loads from the AC service. This would make the task of conditioning power for sensitive, low voltage 

 DC devices (transistors) less expensive. Much less conditioning of the AC system would be required. 

 Solar panels and wind generators would be connected into the DC service, which would be also be 

 provided with battery back-up. When necessary, battery chargers could transfer energy from the AC grid 

 to dK DC system. When die AC power fails, critical loads would be lun off 



die DC system widi its batteries. It would be a simple matter to sense interruption of die AC power and 

 d»en to disconnect nonessential DC kMds firm die DC system. Less money would have to be spent 

 trying to prevent AC grid power outages. 



Wind and solar panels are also sustainable devices diat can be decentralized so diat an individual 

 consumer can generate his or her own power. If each generating household was attached to die power 

 grid diere would be less need for bwteries and households could generate some or aU of dieir power 

 needs. Individual power would mean die intriguing future world in which a customer could receive a 

 check frtxn the power company rather than die traditioaal relationship. 



I wouU ask diat your next hearing take into acx»unt die fact diat new technology could and 

 should change die future directioa of BPA. The current possibility of building new fossil fitel plants is 

 totally unacceptabfe u a worfci of gkibal wanning. We nmist find ways of reducing power needs and 

 reducing CO2 emissioos, not increasing ihem. 



Sineercly, 



^Btad^C^ O 



o 



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