Energy Production and Transportation
The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024
In the first `100 days of 2024 we will explore 100 climate solutions that may “empower you to evaluate, engage, and act” to address on-going climate change as an individual on your terms.
Want to equip yourself to be an advocate for our local community? Going to a meeting with your local government utility or school district and want good data and graphics to be persuasive? A good place to start is WeatherPower at Climate Central, “an independent organization of leading scientists and journalists researching and reporting the facts about our changing climate and its impact on the public.”
You can navigate to the county or congressional district level and get insight on the implementation of renewable energy locally, among other data. You can judge action at the regional level, especially implementation of solar and wind generation.
For the Chez Creel Solar Power Plant, yesterday was not a good day of production. It was cloudy and my solar panels were covered with snow. But across Washington County, MN, there was positive production from other solar resources. At WeatherPower, the data was easily retrieved, and you can select the most meaningful way to convey your message.
Heidi quotes from an analysis by Project Drawdown clearly showing the impact of distributed solar (both on the grid and stand-alone) on avoiding anywhere from 28 to 69 gigatons of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere by 2050 and the potential for more than $13 trillion in savings for the operational costs for the systems.
I am advocate for and user of rooftop solar. It may not be right for you, but we should all amplify the message of the potential impact. Perhaps talk to your local school district or workplace to advocate for new installed capacity. If you see open space at your local school, town hall, or library, solar panels can be installed on the roof, in a field, or over a parking lot. The potential for mitigating climate change is profound – take action!
I will be posting some insight and background on my own solar journey soon. Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have!
Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 9: Weigh the Impact of Decarbonization
Howard Creel
#rescuethatfrog
Email: rescuethatfrog@gmail.com