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Solar power was once the domain of futurists and environmentally minded suburbanites. Today it is part of mainstream America. Scan the skyline of downtown neighborhoods, check out the rooftop of the nearest Walmart, and take a close look at your local sports arena. Chances are you’ll find solar panels in those and many other unexpected places.
In Harness the Sun, Philip Warburg takes readers on a far-flung journey that explores America’s solar revolution. Beginning with his solar-powered home in New England, he introduces readers to the pioneers who are spearheading our move toward a clean energy economy. We meet the CEOs who are propelling solar power to prominence and the intrepid construction workers who scale our rooftops installing panels. We encounter the engineers who are building giant utility-scale projects in prime solar states like Nevada, Arizona, and California, and the biologists who make sure wildlife is protected at those sites.
Warburg shows how solar energy has won surprising support across the political spectrum. Prominent conservatives embrace solar power as an emblem of market freedom, while environmental advocates see it as a way to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, economic-justice activists celebrate solar’s potential to lift up low-income communities, and Native American leaders welcome the income and jobs that the industry will bring to their communities.
Yet solar energy has its downsides and detractors too. Conservationists worry about the impact of large solar farms on protected animal species, and some local citizens groups resent the encroachment of solar projects on farmland and open spaces. Warburg gives voice to those at the epicenter of these conflicts and points the way to constructive solutions.
Harness the Sun offers a grounded, persuasive vision of America’s energy future. It is a future fueled by clean, renewable sources of power, with solar at center stage.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 8, 2015 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780807033777
- File size: 4424 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780807033777
- File size: 4424 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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July 1, 2015
For the future of green energy, the forecast is sunny. That's the message in this manual on the present state of solar energy. Warburg (Harvest the Wind: America's Journey to Jobs, Energy Independence, and Climate Stability, 2012), a former director of the Conservation Law Foundation, has installed a solar array atop his home in Massachusetts. Direct current is converted to alternating current, and his photovoltaic panels supply three-quarters of the electricity that runs the family household and keeps their hybrid car charged. Though some methods of acquiring electricity use the heat of the sun, the rooftop PV modules gather light, not heat. Warburg travels widely to gather facts and figures for his persuasive brief in support of solar power. Many communities are organizing for its advent. Sunlight may be harvested and stored for later use, and in support of solar energy, installations may qualify for federal and state grants, subsidies, and credits. Large corporations, including Wal-Mart, Walgreen's, Apple, and Google, are investing in solar power, and major utilities are making serious financial commitments. However, there are problems, which Warburg candidly explains. Panels, now mostly made in China, may be conveniently installed on residences or parking lots, but major utility PV systems require hardy hardware and lots of space. Brownfields must be remediated before conversion to solar use, and greenfields have environmental defenders. Deserts, seemingly a good place for a large installation, harbor a wide variety of fauna, which need protection, and Navajo and Hopi tribal lands have conflicting claims. Noting that the grid will still be important in the distribution of energy, Warburg now sees solar power as integral to our future energy system. Technology improves exponentially, the legislative atmosphere gets better, and investors' expected financial returns are becoming noteworthy. A clear and persuasive report that is not so much electrifying as smoothly edifying.COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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