Almost 30 years ago, I played “The Sun” in my fifth grade production of A Play About Alternative Energy Written By That Hippie Substitute Teacher. I still remember my lines: “I am The Sun. I am at your service. I warm your houses, and help your food grow.” Also, I waved my arms around in what I considered a dramatically appropriate, “ray-like” manner. Solar power made perfect sense to 11-year-old me. Of course we should use the power that nature gave us. Of course we should stop using “dirty technology” like coal and oil. It was shocking to learn that these common-sense concepts were practically radical science fiction. Fast forward to today, and we have a lot to be excited about.
Solar power is easier than ever to access and increasingly affordable. It’s practically trendy and is moving rapidly toward normal and standard issue. Over at Green Daily I find myself writing more and more about solar success stories. Last week the North American Solar Challenge kicked off. It’s a rally race (like the Cannonball Run, only green) across the country, from Dallas, Texas to Calgary, Alberta in cars powered exclusively by solar power. In addition to the exhilarating solar technology that comes out of this race, the participants are all college students who will be the alternative energy leaders of tomorrow. This race is seeding our future with smart, engaged scientists.
Solar power also still turns up in elementary schools. The Foundation for Environmental Education installs solar panels at schools to help teach students about solar energy. The panels also generate electricity for the schools. PG&E runs a similar Solar Schools Program that provides solar installation packages to 40 schools each year. They also offer a free one-day training session on solar energy to teachers in Central and Northern California. Rhode Island has seven schools with solar panels that provide energy and educational opportunities to the students. At solarschools.com you can check out schools in nine countries that are solar powered, including Australia, Canada, Mali, Turkey, Uganda, and of course the U.S.A. They feature a solar school of the month on their homepage, and you can register your school to be part of the site. It warms my heart to see that we’re putting so much effort into educating our 9, 10 and 11 year olds about alternative energy. They get some pretty good ideas when we give them a chance, and they’re our future. Who knows what science fiction ideas from today they will make reality in 30 years?
Photo by Steve Woods