I've only got one new article for you this week, and it took me months to pull together. I try to keep my cool about what I share, but this week's topic gets me fired up. 🔥

Our State House Rep. Craig Williams wants to convince you that my solar panels are jacking up your PECO bills. He says to non-solar owners, "A portion of your electricity bill is to compensate your solar neighbor, since they are not paying anything to be hooked up to the grid."

He's wrong. Very wrong. I paid $2,786.30 to PECO over the last 12 months, including $1,663.28 "to be hooked up to the grid." What a dumb thing to lie about when solar customers have detailed PECO bills to easily prove that claim is false. Did I pay less than a non-solar customer? Yep, that's the point. Did I pay upfront for a system that generates my own power and adds benefits to the overall grid? I sure did!

Everyone and their mother, including Craig, agrees we need more power generation ("gigawatts, gigawatts" more power in Craig's words). Yet he's trying to pit neighbor against neighbor (specifically me and others with rooftop solar against anyone who doesn't have rooftop solar) in the battle to bring down electricity prices. I won't have it.

If you ask me, he sounds more like a fossil fuel shill than an advocate for everyday Pennsylvanians. Just saying...

While he's talking out of one side of his mouth that we need so much more energy, the other side is trying to use legislative amendments to slow installation of new solar power systems. Which is it? Do we desperately need more power? Or is it not an emergency such that sidelining an entire class of new energy generation is a worthwhile cause? That's a rhetorical question; we already agreed that everyone and their mother knows we need more power. ⚡

Here's the truth: Utility-scale solar plus battery systems are often less expensive than new natural gas plants to build, and they start generating power years faster (!!) than new natural gas (his fuel of choice, according to him). There are lots of places in Pennsylvania we can build utility-scale solar systems, like warehouse roofs and old mining lands, that don't disturb open fields.

Craig is right that we need gigawatts of new power, and we need it now. So why would he try to stall relatively inexpensive, quick-to-install, clean technology options?!

P.S. Solar is the energy of the future. I predict that one day, it will be so cheap it will be basically free. This is already happening in places like Australia and Germany!!! But I digress...

Rooftop solar isn't the least expensive option available to the market overall (for a variety of reasons, many of which are fixable with legislative reform). But rooftop solar systems tend to pay for themselves in 5-10 years and last 25 years, so they offer a great return on investment to the individual household or organization that installs them. If individual property owners or private organizations want to use their own money to build a tiny piece of that new electricity generation we so desperately need, why in the world is Craig Williams trying to make that more difficult?!

All those tiny additions add up to meaningful growth in generation when we let that market flourish. We can see this in other places in the US and globally. In our current electricity market, new generation not paid for broadly by utility customers is a good thing.

And why is he trying to use half-truths to pit neighbors against each other on one of the hottest cost of living topics right now?! 🤬 Get out of town with that business. I am so sick of politicians trying to get us to fight with each other to distract us from the real villains and viable solutions!

Williams is a tricky guy. He tends to use bill amendments (as opposed to stand-alone bills) to slow clean energy legislation, which makes it harder for us normal people to see clearly what he's up to. But this time, he was kind enough to promote his solar slowdown shenanigans on social media. Thanks for the transparency, I guess?

​This week's article is a doozy. Grab your reading glasses and a cup of coffee for this one. If you're not in the mood, skim the stuff in bold (but I wanted to provide more detail so you could understand the supporting details if you want).

To be clear, energy markets and the electricity industry are super complicated. I don't have the silver bullet, and neither does Craig. As soon as you flip one switch in the market, a bunch of other switches flip simultaneously. Many of them move more like dimmers than on-off toggles.

But one thing is abundantly clear. We need a boatload of new electricity generation. And Craig Williams is fighting against an option that is cheap, clean, and by far the fastest new generation to market. All this while he claims he wants "prolific solar." Excuse me while I dig my eyes out from rolling back into my head. 🙄

This week, the Energy in Chadds Ford series takes a deep dive into how costs shift in our electricity market between solar and non-solar customers. 🍒 Craig cherry-picks data to try to convince you it's an unfair one-way street and my rooftop solar is jacking up your PECO bills. I'm offering a more complete harvest of fruity goodness 🍇🍊🍉 to argue it's way more complicated, and in many ways, my rooftop solar is good for you (even if you don't have solar).

I'd love to hear your perspective. And if you think a friend or neighbor needs to read this, forward them the email. Let's have an open conversation that includes all the details, not just the slice of the story our fossil fuel friends want us to hear.

💭 Ponder This

In this section, I share book recommendations, articles, podcasts, quotes, and other links I think Chadds Ford neighbors might find interesting. Let me know what you think.

📙 Just finished reading Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. I'm not sure who their sources were. The authors will surely never tell. But they had some deep insider information sent their way, including what I can only presume were recordings inside the Situation Room. If nothing else, it's fascinating documentation of some of the most classified dynamics and decisions made at the White House in the last couple of years. Who's the mole???! 👀

🗳️ How about this idea to end gerrymandering?

⚡ This company is using software to help utility companies increase grid utilization and bring costs down by 5% in just 6-12 months (without building any new power plants or transmission lines). Nothing will bring our rates down overnight or immediately. But why aren't our local politicians (especially the ones who crow that they are constantly fighting for lower energy rates for anyone except those with rooftop solar 🙄) considering options like this instead of (or at least in addition to) expensive, time-consuming buildouts of new polluting power plants?

🕊️ "Let the truth guide your politics; don't let your politics tell you what's true" - Joshua Doss​

🤸🏻 Our built environment is hostile to our children, especially in the suburbs. What can we do to build cities and neighborhoods that kids can move through? I feel this so strongly!! 🧡 FYI: Vision Zero (called Safe Systems Approach by the US Dept of Transportation) has lots of suggestions that would make our communities better for our kids and their independence. -- This is more broadly about how a car-centric society is bad for so many reasons, everything from pollution, stress, and transportation equity to mental health and age-appropriate development and independence opportunities for children.

🧑🏻‍💻 You know a young adult who's unemployed? Here's a laugh. (Don't worry, it's not mean.)

🌍 America's fall from global hegemony will be his lasting legacy.

✨ Loving Connect Chadds Ford ✨

While I don’t have any secrets behind paywalls, did you know you can choose to become a paid subscriber if you value Connect Chadds Ford and it’s within your budget? No pressure, but if you feel compelled to upgrade to a paid subscription, I won’t be mad. And if you’re already a paid subscriber, thank you so much! I really appreciate it.

Looking ahead

Here are a few events you might want to add to your calendar. Several require registration in advance. Double-check dates and times in case they’ve changed since I shared.

I feel like most of us are traveling, at the beach, at the pool, or hanging with family and friends during this season. If you're looking for something to do, here are a few places around town that always have some great events on the calendar:

• Rachel Kohl Community Library
• Kennett Library
• Penns Wood Winery
• Chaddsford Winery
• Brandywine Museum of Art

Take a peek at their event calendars for something fun. I included a bunch of ideas for family adventures in the Summer Adventure Series. You can also sign up for the Along the Arc newsletter, which highlights several live music events in the area.

Other events to add?

Feel free to share any other events happening in and around Chadds Ford (just reply to this email) that you think our neighbors will enjoy!

Got a question or a comment? Hit reply to this email. It comes right back to my inbox. 👋🏻

Did you get this from a friend and want to sign up yourself? If so, you can get more information and sign up here!

From your Chadds Ford Neighbor,

Jen