The Fremont Union High School District is a great example of how the transition to renewable energy is practical, creates jobs, reduces dependence on foreign oil, and benefits the environment. The Fremont Union High School District has installed solar canopies over parking lots, creating a comfortable parking area and producing megawatts of power. The District used bond funds to install solar photovoltaic power systems at all 5 high schools. This system saves over $1,000,000 per year, and this translates into jobs going forward on top of the jobs created when the District constructed the systems.
Many school districts around the San Francisco Bay Area have Solar systems and more are installing them. The amount of power produced is modest, but it is common to be able to reduce the PG&E bill by 80%. The effects of reducing the energy cost on operating costs are significant, and especially so in this time of limited tax revenue due to the decline in the real estate value. These moves mean that the Schools get to keep several jobs at each school with a solar system operating, and that is a long term direct investment in our communities.
For me, the small subsidy to encourage installation of these systems and the additional utility cost to handle the unique challenges caused by adding so much solar to the system are one of the things that government can legitimately do with our tax money to ensure that the society benefits, and that investment continues to be made in converting our energy economy to renewable sources.
When you see just how simple these systems are, and consider that as we build more, we can expect costs to come down even further. If energy produced by fossil fuel sources could be taxed according to the ecological and climatic burden that it creates, the cost equation would immediately favor renewable sources.
There are some climate change deniers who say that responding to climate change now will cost jobs, will hurt the economy. I say that to wait and do nothing is to make certain that the economy will suffer, and to act now as the Fremont Union High School District has done is smart, helps the economy and strengthens the community.
In several school districts that I've seen lately, there was one influential person who's leadership brought the program to life. As the benefits become more widely understood, I expect that we will see many more systems installed. Our government should learn from this example and find ways to use policy to encourage a rapid shift from fossil fuel energy to renewable energy.
Lynbrook High School, Cupertino, California.
For me, the small subsidy to encourage installation of these systems and the additional utility cost to handle the unique challenges caused by adding so much solar to the system are one of the things that government can legitimately do with our tax money to ensure that the society benefits, and that investment continues to be made in converting our energy economy to renewable sources.
When you see just how simple these systems are, and consider that as we build more, we can expect costs to come down even further. If energy produced by fossil fuel sources could be taxed according to the ecological and climatic burden that it creates, the cost equation would immediately favor renewable sources.
There are some climate change deniers who say that responding to climate change now will cost jobs, will hurt the economy. I say that to wait and do nothing is to make certain that the economy will suffer, and to act now as the Fremont Union High School District has done is smart, helps the economy and strengthens the community.
In several school districts that I've seen lately, there was one influential person who's leadership brought the program to life. As the benefits become more widely understood, I expect that we will see many more systems installed. Our government should learn from this example and find ways to use policy to encourage a rapid shift from fossil fuel energy to renewable energy.
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