OPG Announces Voluntary Power Rationing

I got a lively, cheerful notice in the mail the other day, along with my garganutan Horizon Utilities bill - that announced that soon I would have one of the much vaunted 'smart meters' installed at my house.

Yes, Horizon is introducing time of use pricing for electricity. Use power during peak periods (which vary by season and day of week) and it'll run you 9.3c/kwh, mid peak - 8 c/kwh, and off peak, a miserly 4.4 c/kwh.

In effect, Ontario Power Generation has admitted that they do not have enough power to feed a potential peak demand (i.e. a province in full economic recovery on a hot summer day) and they are now asking people to reduce their use at certain times of the day, and save their use for other times when there is less demand on the system.

This is called 'voluntary rationing.'

Years ago, I had the immense privelege of going to Nicaragua, where I stayed for two seperate weeks in the capital Managua, and delivered training to two groups of contact centre employees. One morning in class, I asked if everyone had done their homework. Nobody had. When I asked for reasons, someone was kind enough to explain to this utterly ignorant northerner the realities of life in a city with a truly disfunctional grid.

Each section of the city, only had power at certain times of the day - and then for only 4 hour bursts. The people in my class who had not done their homework, only had power between midnight and 4:00 am. Not so helpful. And at 44C in the shade, with about 98% humidity, candles were totally out of the question (near the equator, the sun goes down promptly at 5:30 pm)

Now, Ontario has a looooong way to go before it reaches that point, and probably never will, but the prospect of the power generating authority for the province tacitly admitting there could potentially not be enough to go around, is a little chilling.

They're not the only ones saying that.

The constant theme of this blog is that for most of us in the west, in the face of things to come, life is just going to get less convenient. But doesn't have to get less pleasant, or less enjoyable.

Things can be awfully romantic by candlelight, and if you know how to sing, or play an acoustic instrument, you can be the life of the party even during a brownout.

People can still gather around a board game, and a glass of red wine, and have a real genuine conversation. It's like that ad on TV for Sobeys about when the power goes out, and everyone gets together for a big potluck because the food in their fridge is about to go off.

Maybe when we're not plugged into our iPods, or Netbooks, or...dare I say it (at the time I'm writing this) Canada vs. USA hockey games going on 5000 km away, then maybe we'll take time to connect with real people - people around us that we love, and could grow to love.

Maybe a little power rationing is just what a 'community' needs.