Meet the U.S. electrical grid. And then, if you are an American, stop and thank your lucky stars.

The electrical power network in America consists of huge, centrally-located coal, natural gas, nuclear or hydroelectric plants which, when their output is taken together, account for over 95% of all the electricity consumed in America.

And that output is at the mercy of accidentally, or deliberately, caused interruption.

But each of the fuels powering these plants is not without its faults. Coal, when burned, is a major emitter of greenhouse gasses; natural gas has been increasing in price as new deposits become scarcer and more expensive to develop; nuclear power leaves us with the fear of meltdowns and the problem of how to dispose of radioactive waste; and hydroelectric projects can cause, among other things, soil erosion and wildlife habitat destruction.

Following the enormous blackout that occurred in the northeastern U.S in the summer of 2003, many experts began to advise supplementing the nation’s existing grid power supply with plants producing renewable alternative energy which would be available whenever needed. Alternative energy from geothermal or biofuel power could back up the traditional grid suppliers.

And wind or solar alternative energy, which may be available only sporadically, are also useful in that they will supply additional power when it is needed most–alternative energy solar power being produced most abundantly when cooling needs are greatest, and alternative energy wind power, if generated over a wide enough area, smoothing out the fluctuations in traditional power delivery.

Renewable alternative energy power could be fed into the electrical grid as needed, and if produced from enough separate sources, would be impossible to sabotage completely. In addition, it does not add greenhouse gasses to our increasingly carbon saturated atmosphere, and, unlike fossil-fuel power, will not one day disappear.

As the 2003 blackout reminded us, our intertwined electrical network is susceptible to a domino-like collapse at any time. Having alternative energy fuelled power stations ready to feed it, when one of its key plants shuts down, could save untold billions of dollars, and eliminate some serious security issues.