We are all realizing that climate change needs to be addressed.
Technology, governments, and world organisations will contribute but if we the citizens of the earth only pay lip attention like our politicians that are more concerned about the latest twitter we have a recipe for disaster.
Changing our habits one by one will take a lifetime.
So # What if.com has a suggestion that could be adopted by the Europen Union or for that matter any country.
We all know that energy is essential to us all and that we have the green technology to wean us off fossil fuels.
The problem is it the replacement.
Pounds of CO2 emitted per million British thermal units (Btu) of energy for various fuels:
|Diesel fuel and heating oil||161.3|
|Gasoline (without ethanol)||157.2|
THERE ARE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SMALL TOWNS AND VILLAGE ALL OVER EUROPE.
WITH SOME CREATIVE INITIATIVES FROM OURSELVES, OUR GOVERNMENTS AND WITH HELP FROM THE EU THESE VILLAGES AND TOWNS COULD BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT IN ENEGERY.
Nuclear energy, wind turbines, are not wanted for obvious reasons. Of all the long-term solution to reduce carbon emissions solar energy is the prefered option.
So until we crack fusion there is endless energy to be had from the sun.
There is no reason for half a dozen major energy companies that have come to dominate the market to offer repayable grants to every community to establish utility-scale energy co-ops to run small solar farms.
These co-ops can be funded in several ways.
By: The issuing of EU environmental green bonds.
By: A solar levy that could be progressively applied to bigger electricity bills.
BY: Customers who can either purchase a share of a solar garden and own that portion of the overall array or they can lease energy from the solar system and, in a sense, replace their monthly utility payments with monthly community solar payments that are typically at a lower price.
By: National grids paying for the excess energy generated with these payments guaranteed for 20 years.
WHEN ONE LOOKS AT SOLAR ENERGY WE SEE INDIVIDUAL HOUSES WITH SOLAR PANELS AND MORE THAN LIKELY ARE ASKING THE QUESTION WHY SHOULD WE BE PAYING FOR AFFLUENT RICH PEOPLE INDULGING IN GREEN CRAP?
OF COURSE, BIG ENERGY COMPANIES DONE WANT TO LOSE THEIR REVENUE BASE. However, increasing the amount of electricity storage has huge value to the National Grid because it helps balance variable supply and erratic demand.
Also, batteries will help the grid adjust to the big new challenge posed by the need to charge electric vehicles. ( Given these services, shouldn’t solar batteries be subsidised?)
Furthermore, it would make all of us and countries self-sufficient in green energy, weaning us off government support.
Solar farms at the utility scale would typically be at least 1 megawatt (MW), which is a power plant capable of supplying some 200 households. The needed kilowatt hours of energy can be established from the existing energy bills and work backwards to get a number of panels needed for the array.
A smaller solar farm only requires a few acres of land with a panel cleaned – and a powered robot.
Solar will get there and private money will eventually fill the gap, but it may not get there nearly as fast as needed without some creative thinking.
Just imagine what this would do not to just the reduction of carbon emissions, but to new employment opportunities, the cost of manufacturing, the sale of electric vehicles, the quality of the air we breathe to mention a few of the benefits.
There is not a village or town that would turn own such an opportunity.