For several years I've been curious about solar power. In elementary school I used a magnifying glass to ignite leaves on camping trips. In high school I learned about solar cells and the ability to get electricity from them. In college while earning my degree in electrical engineering I was intrigued by the work of an on-campus solar startup that later went public and hit it big. Now, well into my 40s, my neighbors started putting solar panels on their roof. As a homeowner, I am cautious about incurring risks to my house. So I wanted to know whether the neighbors installing solar shared my concern for their investment or perhaps were drawn by other interests.
During a several month research effort, I discovered three things. First, rooftop solar is economically viable in our community and on my house. In fact, I will earn back nearly twice my investment in less than 20 years. Perhaps sooner, depending on how much electricity we consume. Second, installing rooftop solar adds wear and tear to your roof. I might have looked more carefully at replacing the roof before installing. Alas, that ship has sailed. And, third, there are many people with passionate opinions about solar energy and climate change.
Intrigued by this passion, I decided to do some reading, some asking, and some more reading. My first discovery was climate change is an area with very passionate opinions. My second discovery is that the science is obtuse. So I read some. In fact, I bought four books and read them all.
Given all this reading, here is my own, highly simplified, climate change FAQ. I had fun gathering this information and hope you find it useful.
- Is the climate changing?
- Yes. Findings in my readings put this at "very likely". Very likely is a statistician's phrase meaning "there is a 99% chance that the climate is changing".
- Is the change due to human activity?
- Yes. Again, my also readings put this at "very likely". There is a 95% chance that human activity has a large contribution to climate change.
- Should I worry about it?
- No. The economics of continuing human activities that contribute significantly to climate change are becoming too expensive. People are choosing some climate friendly alternates now and will choose more alternates as costs come down.
- Is there anything I should do?
- It's up to you. Here are three easy ones.
- Use less energy. This will translate to lower utility bills.
- Use green energy. Install solar if it is cost effective for you.
- Get informed. Conversations and information help a lot.
- Where can I learn more?
- I went to a book store and found several current books. Find one that you agree with and find one that makes your skin crawl. If you want to know what books I started with, drop me a line.
Beyond all the scientific, environmental, and political information I gathered through this research, I have a renewed interest in exploring complex - some would say "wicked" - problems. I believe that using research, conversation, and collaboration, people are very good at solving complex problems. I also believe that persistence has rewards.
