Don’t believe in Climate Change? Fine. You should support green energy anyway.
The sun is free: a gift from heaven. It belongs to everyone and will, therefore, never cause war or clog the Strait of Hormuz.
Since 1883, we’ve been able to harness its energy. Around the same time, however, we developed the means to commercially extract the energy from hell known as oil. Since then, the energy from hell has become the organizing principle of our civilization, while the energy from heaven has been hobbling along on the fringes.
Why?
I have a theory: oil, unlike the sun, is a commodity that can be packaged, controlled and traded. A free and communal energy source is, therefore, a threat to those in power. So, if the people want it, the people must demand it. Let’s talk about why we should.
First, in New Hampshire, we like to “live free or die.” One way to achieve this? Detach ourselves from a global system over which we have no control. Nothing says energy freedom like solar panels on the roof. Heck, a roof isn’t even necessary. Soon we’ll be able to put them on our balconies.
As for the second part of that proud motto, with solar, we have a lower chance of dying as well. Oil, which is burned, pollutes by its very nature. In addition, no matter how much care is taken, oil will spill. Whether a little or a lot, this is not good for human health or the environment. A sun spill, on the other hand, sounds like a great time to take the family for a swim.
Okay, so the sun is free and clean, but accessing it is not. Panels and turbines wear out, and the materials needed to build them must be extracted. In addition, while oil is a stable, reliable commodity (except when at war or when billionaires get greedy), “the sun ain’t always shining and the wind ain’t always blowing.”
Well, here’s some great news, especially for my free-market capitalist friends. Renewable energy is a veritable sunburst of your favorite thing: innovation. Let’s take a look.
First, when it’s dark or cloudy, we have something that can store energy and release it later. They’ve only been around since the early 1800s, so you may not have heard of them. They are called batteries, and, along with the solar panels that fill them up, they keep getting smaller, lighter and more efficient.
But the innovation doesn’t stop there. Just within the last month, I heard about crab shells replacing lithium batteries, harnessing energy from raindrops, and bladeless wind turbines. With oil, innovation has limits, since nothing can change the fact that it must be burned.
But what about the mining? Unlike oil, the metals needed for renewable technologies are infinitely recyclable. What is required is a well-planned metal recycling system. Even now, extracting metals from our E-waste alone could eliminate the need for deep-sea mining. The octopuses will be grateful.
Which reminds me about something that concerns me greatly: the biodiversity crisis. Well, unlike the massive and unavoidable wildlife losses caused by fossil fuels, any nature-damaging impacts of renewable energy can be addressed with good design. For example, while the biodiversity impact of wind turbines is still being studied, remember the bladeless ones I mentioned? The birds and flying insects will love them.
Taking it a step further, renewables can even be nature positive. Sea life can thrive under turbines, and meadows can bloom under panels. We don’t need to cut down our forests: the land that is currently used to grow corn ethanol could grow solar power, enough to supply the entire country.
Lastly, people, the green energy transition provides cheap energy and good jobs. Just consider rooftop solar alone. Panels must be manufactured, shipped, installed, removed, replaced and recycled. As for the consumer, did I mention that the sun is free? I believe I did.
The sun is the only nuclear reactor we need. Nuclear energy from uranium and its earthly counterparts have the same issues as oil. It generates waste. It’s inherently toxic. No matter how safe it becomes, it will spill. It is controlled by billionaires. It can cause war. We cannot put it on our roofs.
So, that’s my plea. The gift from heaven is right there. Just look up, libertarians, capitalists, parents, health fans, environmentalists, techies, blue-collar workers and all of us! It is non-partisan and unifying. The energy of the people.
Caelin Graber is a nurse educator living in Greenville. She is also a co-facilitator for Third Act, N.H., a group that inspires seniors to get active on the climate and democracy.
