Colonial Pipeline Hack Is Another Reason To Adopt Distributed Energy
Pipelines transfer fossil fuels, which are dangerous to the health of people and the planet
Entire regions rely on pipelines; when a problem occurs, millions of people can be left without energy
Despite enormous costs, thousands of miles of pipelines are currently under construction. This makes pipelines an especially bad investment considering pipelines keep the U.S. dependent on fossil fuels despite efforts to reduce carbon emissions and transition to renewable energy sources
Distributed energy systems are decentralized, ensuring energy customers won’t be subject to major supply disruptions
Distributed energy systems can be used to generate electricity using renewables, which are clean and inexpensive
A pipeline that delivers fuel to 50 million Americans was the target of a ransomware attack earlier this month, forcing operators to temporarily shut down the 5,500 mile Colonial Pipeline in its entirety. Typically delivering roughly 2.5 million barrels of oil a day, the initial shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline was not expected to cause any fuel shortages or raise the price of gas. However, news of the hack caused panic buying that led to widespread fuel shortages, which in turn pushed the price of gas around the country to over $3.
Far from being the first major pipeline calamity, the Colonial Pipeline hack is just the latest illustration of the impracticality of pipelines. Despite the fact that over 9,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines were being built or expanded in the U.S. last year, plans for new pipeline development face increasing scrutiny from courts, legislators, and activists alike.
Compared to renewable distributed energy systems, it’s not difficult to see why pipelines are an inferior method of delivering energy to customers. Often transporting oil and gas thousands of miles, pipelines are prone to spilling harmful pollutants into delicate, natural environments. It’s not uncommon for pipelines to rupture; in one recent incident, the Keystone pipeline dumped 383,000 gallons of crude oil into North Dakota wetland.
These environmental concerns increase the cost of constructing pipelines, further illustrating that the undesirable aspects of pipelines outweigh the benefits. In 2020, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy canceled plans to construct a new 600 mile pipeline after lawsuits citing the environmental impact of the pipeline bumped up the estimated cost of the project from $5 billion to $8 billion.
Additionally, pipelines are often routed to cut through communities home to marginalized communities. Whether it be through a small town in Tennessee or near a Native American reservation, the construction of pipelines can decrease property values and put local drinking water at risk. In many instances, construction of pipelines can come with charges of environmental racism.
Luckily, there’s a much cleaner, safer, and more reliable alternative to pipelines in the form of renewable distributed energy systems. Unlike energy delivered via pipeline, which transports energy generated in one place to be used in another, distributed energy is generated close to where it will be used. Distributed energy systems generally provide electricity to small, local grids, though they are connected to larger grids in order to share power where it’s needed. And whereas pipelines facilitate the use of dirty fossil fuels, distributed energy systems are usually powered by solar panels and wind turbines.
Aside from the obvious benefit of reducing carbon emissions, distributed energy systems come with a number of other perks that offer a stark contrast to the use of pipelines. Distributed power systems increase the reliability of the electric system, enable an emergency supply of power, and help to offset consumer rates. And in the wake of the Colonial Pipeline hack, distributed energy systems stand out as an excellent alternative because their decentralized nature reduces their vulnerability to malicious attacks.
Unlike distributed energy systems, pipelines are expensive, potentially dangerous to the environment, and prone to malicious attacks that could leave entire regions of the country without energy. Localized, more efficient, and powered by clean energy, distributed energy systems provide a practical, commonsense method of delivering energy to customers.