I'll Follow the Sun! How can you?

This morning before coming to work here at Greenopolis, just as the sun was beginning to peak over the mountain to the east, I began to get ready to catch it. A couple of years ago, I put a 3.6 kilowatt solar electric array near my house. It now powers about half of my electricity needs- all from the sun! Every season, I go out and adjust the array to track the sun in its track-, pointing it way to the south in the winter months, nearly over head in summer and catching the sun midway in fall and spring. I”get juiced” seeing how much juice I’m making form the sun- nearly 13,000 kilowatts in the past 3 years! And I’ve saved over 21000 pounds of CO2 emissions over that time- a drop in the global bucket, but sure better than nothing.

Now not everyone’s name is Liv Greene, so I don’t expect everyone to go out and plunk down the money for photovoltaics. Although it sure makes me feel god, and is “cool” in more ways than one, it’ll take about 15 years to pay itself back. I have to admit I do have a little self satisfied smirk every time electricity rates go up, and my sunlight is still free.

But anyone can go solar- whether it’s putting solar hot water systems up (payback time : under 6 years), putting one photovoltaic panel up a year, or putting little solar walk light along a pathway, a solar back pack to recharge your computer or a solar powered water pump- there are literally hundreds of ways to follow the sun. The sun gives us 8-13,000 times the energy we need to power human society each day! And the trees, grasses, even algae capture it and make energy!

How can we be as smart as algae? How can you in some large or small way, follow the sun?

Love,

Liv.