by Ethan Johnson
May 30, 2006

Every so often, the semantic complaint is tossed off that people who buy things should not be referred to as "consumers". One wag said that he or she can be called a consumer on the day that this person eats a printer. Perhaps, but semantically back, we as humans (especially in developed nations) do have a tendency to "consume" more than we "produce". Considering what we naturally produce, that may be a good thing.

As I have considered these labels, I think the BitTorrent* world has a better labeling system: Seeders and leeches.

Seeders distribute, create, teach, produce, share.

Leeches consume, learn, hoard, save.

Looking around at my present reality, I can find plenty of examples of seeder/leech behavior, and they don't all involve capital markets. But a common scenario is that of power generation and usage. The power company generates power (through diverse means) and their customers consume it, usually as a one-off transaction, i.e. the power is not saved up and shared with others. (Or resold.)

In BitTorrent terms, it is possible to straddle the line between seeding and leeching. After all, one cannot teach without first learning. At issue from their perspective is the habit of only "leeching" and never "seeding" anything of value into the resource pool.

I was considering this analogy when I read about solar power last night. There are a few vendors on eBay selling "grid-tie" systems that seem to straddle the line between "seeding" (providing power TO the grid) and "leeching" (receiving power FROM the grid). One system claims to have the potential to generate 78,000 kilowatt hours (kW/h) per month, depending on weather conditions and geographic location. Our highest monthly usage in 2005 was 3500 Kwh (pretty damn high). Assuming we had this solar system, and it really performed to peak expectations (while we went kookie ringing up another 3500 kW/h in usage) we would theoretically generate a surplus of 74500 kW/h which is presumably sold back to the power company. I have no idea what the rate would be for that, but assuming 1 cent per Kwh (the local rate tops out at 15 cents per kW/h) that would bring in $745 USD per month. Again, assuming nothing but ideal conditions. (Note: It looks like it is a tug-of-war between the power company charging you for your draw from the grid (forward progress on the meter) versus you pumping excess power into the grid (reverse progress on the meter), which theoretically means you're getting any sort of credits at the "price to beat" rate - locally 15 cents per kW/h. Holy cow!)

However, this system does not use any batteries. Since it is a "grid-tie" system, I assume this means that it's solar mania during the day, and you pull power from the communal grid at night. Since our power usage is lower while we're at work, this sounds like our solar power generation would be largely feeding the grid, not us. But this strikes me as a fair compromise where we "leech" from and "seed" into the power grid. Much more research is required, and I have a call in to our local HOA to get their views on residential solar.

Regarding wind power, I learned that the theoretical maximum for powering the continental US with wind power is 40%. So we can't possibly switch to "just" wind power, and away from the usual suspects like coal, nuclear, and natural gas. But 40% of the power mix coming from wind means 40% less of those usual suspects, which is a good thing, I'm thinking. I just switched us over to a power plan called "EarthWise" with TXU (sad to say) that guarantees 10% of the power mix will come from their Texas wind farm. If you want 100%, you'll pay through the nose. Which makes sense. If the theoretical maximum for the country is 40% and you want 100%, you're being a big-time leech, and you should pay dearly. Despite my qualms about TXU I respect their perceived honesty regarding wind power. Here's hoping this works out.

Finally, I read extensively about Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) conversion systems for cars with diesel engines. I had a diesel VW Beetle, but it was leased and has been replaced by a Dodge mini-van. Our next car is SO going to be a VW diesel. And when we buy it (instead of lease) we are SO taking a trip to Memphis, TN and going to Deep Fried Rides. I love the "crazy" spirit of the SVO community and really love the idea of not being dependent on the petroleum economy. Raise those gas prices at will, after I switch to SVO. Check out DFR's selling points:

* A FULL TANK OF GREASE
* A 20% BLEND OF BIODIESEL IN YOUR DIESEL TANK
* DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW YOUR SYSTEM WORKS
* A TAILORED PLAN FOR GREASE COLLECTION AND FILTERING
* A COMPLIMENTARY CATFISH DINNER, LOVINGLY PREPARED IN THE SHOP

Check it, yo. Dallas is loaded with restaurants, many of which fry their foods. This fryer oil is being discarded as waste. Why not "consume" it once more and burn it as fuel? They need to get rid of the waste oil, we have places to go, things to do, and people to meet - win/win!

What bothers me about SVO is the prep work. You can't "just" pump waste cooking oil into your tank and think you're going anywhere. The waste oil is free (usually), but there is time and effort involved (and apparently a small investment in the treatment apparatus). The up side is, most systems are dual-tanked so you can run "normal" diesel fuel in the main tank and SVO in the other. No SVO? No problem!

(I just found out that there is a truck stop about 20 miles (max) away that sells Bio-Diesel. I am going to head up there in a few days and check the price and see how much of a savings it is over "regular" diesel. I like the idea of not having to monkey around with vegetable oil, but I want to see some real savings. More later.)

This speaks back to the X% blend of "green" and "conventional" power sources. It's still "leeching" no matter how you slice it, but it is a more diversified approach and one that is more environmentally friendly, I am told.

And that's really the point, isn't it? If we must "leech", let's do it in a responsible fashion. Even the gross blood-sucking leech is designed to not harm the host (short of leaving teeth marks), as in, not spreading disease. In turn, seeders become more responsible in how they produce their goods and services, in theory. More wind and solar means less coal. More SVO and Bio-diesel means less petroleum. Zero (or reduced) emissions means cleaner air. We're not going to revert back to the Stone Age from a technological perspective anytime soon, so why not be all whiz-bang and techno responsibly?

Anyway, food for thought. Flax and soy-flavored food at that. Mmmm! <EM>

* Yes, I am aware that BT users technically "leech" the material that they "seed" more often than not. Concentrate more on the metaphor and less on the BT mechanics.