Connecting To The Grid – Good or Bad for off-the-grid communities?
No Name Key is a key connected by a small bridge in the Florida Keys. For years the 43 houses that are on the small island have relied on alternative energy, and, of course in Florida, there’s no shortage of sunshine, especially in the keys. Now there are motions being made to connect the small community to the grid, where it will be optional for residents to connect.
A house on No Name Key, FL
Normally, solar panels have associated batteries that the juice is stashed in when there’s an overage. Additionally, the residents of No Name Key are reliant on diesel-fed generators to power their homes. NPR just launched an article on this way of living and how it may be changed forever once the key is hooked up to the grid. Some residents feel that it will compromise the way of living on the island.
The situation on No Name Key seems oddly similar to that of an adjoining island to Nantucket named Tuckernuck. If you’re not familiar with the pristine beauty of Tuckernuck here, it’s no-man’s land. A smattering of houses throughout the 900 square acres, Tuckernuck is not connected to the grid. Gravel Shoal Group has had the pleasure of building or renovating several of the houses on Tuckernuck, and solar is a pretty common occurrence over there, as well as diesel-gobbling generators. There’s no connection to the grid, cable, gas, etc. over there. Residents of the island, however, do just fine. I’m not entirely sure if there are any strictly-Tuckernuck-year-rounders over there (it’s a hop, skip, and a jump in the summer to get over there in the nicer weather, but in the winter you are at the mercy of the weather).
Solar paneling from a house we did on Tuckernuck
Tuckernuck: off of Nantucket's western shore
On this comparative note, what are your thoughts on connecting an island that seems to do just fine without grid connection? Do you think No Name Key is at risk for over-development now that grid connection is an option for people who may have otherwise strayed from living there? Do you think the same could happen on Tuckernuck?
