This is not dreaming. I would volunteer to aid the startup of this effort. I've been developing and selling solar projects since 2007. Now retired I am still active and want to do more. I am not a technical designer but the modeling I do can be useful to the effort, hence important. I know the solar supply chain enough to network. We can also include agrivoltaic solar systems to aid in food growing even in hotter summers. I have associates who can advise and aid in other ways. I can talk money with those who can aid us with larger donations.
I just commented above that I would love to be able to make (small) donations to such an effort. Please let me know if you put something together. IDK, maybe it's too hard to wrangle individual donations but the idea of being able to donate to orgs providing solar around the world is very compelling.
Mark, I would like to have posters or handouts to promote agrovoltaics to farmers. I am not a farmer, but there are many in the rural county where I prefer to live. . . . I wonder if I could get solar panels installed over the pond, which has been low in the summer these last few uears. BWB
Hello Barbara- I could assemble such a handout. Haven't built a full sized poster in a long time but perhaps can also put that together. My first career included publishing a trade catalog and magazine. I'll get some input from an associate who runs a cooperative building agrivoltaic systems.
Hello Barbara. My agrivoltaics associate sent me some info & graphics. I'm meeting with a team that's doing a 2MW agrivoltaics project in Georgia on Friday, should get more info. Some progress on your request.
You ended “And if there are some billionaires out there looking for some good karma—well, take it and run.:” Instead of SOME billionaires, how about a billion with SOME money? I for one would like to contribute all I can to solar for all!
Love the concept of solar+. Here in CA, we have hundreds of miles of open aquaducts ferrying water north to south. These could be covered with solar panels, greatly reducing evaporation (an idea I can't take credit for!)
Perhaps this is a way to pay off our climate debt to the world. We subsidize our own panel manufacturing -creating jobs and bringing price per watt down while cleaning the environment and stabilizing energy- starved nations.
Love this idea, Bill. Could foundations purchase manufacturing capacity at solar plants? What if holders of all those languishing DAFs could be organized to fund? (Money’s already designated for giving, just needs to move.) How about tapping into all the “sister city” relationships that exist, to create some friendly “race to the top” energy for which city could fund the most panels to send abroad? Climate solutions can feel so diffuse to most folks, which is the opposite of motivation. This could be a beautiful counterpoint to that. And it feels damn good to dream into possibility.
I'm reading McKibben's book, Here Comes the Sun, and see that he's mentioned the canal concept and the amount of water that would be prevented from evaporation by being covered with solar panels.
I’m just back from a five week safari vacation across four countries in southern Africa, plus Tanzania in East Africa. I noticed that every safari camp and resort in all these countries used solar PV for their power (some with diesel backup). In one camp I peeked into a shed behind some panels and saw a bank of very large lead-acid batteries for storage. Amazingly, in traditional villages with mud-walled homes with grass roofs, there was often a solar panel sitting incongruously on top of many of these simple homes. Africa is skipping the fossil fuel era and jumping right to renewable energy (just as it skipped the wired telecommunication era and moved directly to wireless technology). I even heard, but did not see, that some tourist safari companies were starting to switch to electric off-road vehicles.
I can’t think of a more efficient use of charitable donations to benefit the lives of people, both directly and indirectly, and improve the climate than contributing to such a global project.
Yes, and the reduce cost of living significantly. My home in Denver has a system on the house plus one on the garage charging two EVs. A solar thermal system provides hot water and heating. Most months our utility bills are $22 for meter fees aka grid connection. We don't know or care what gasoline costs. I recently calculated we're savings average $400/month.
I absolutely love this idea, and for a while, I've been sending my (very) *modest* donation $ to someone who will get solar to those who can't afford it: first in my local area (Pittsburgh) through fundraisers with Solar United Neighbors, then an org in California who was reclaiming used solar for under-resourced folks. But I would *love* to donate to an org that's getting solar panels to folks in Africa, with all their tremendous solar irradiance levels.
Bill, do you know of international orgs that do this work? Or any way (very) small donors like myself can contribute to this modest proposal?
Another option is community solar — you can use Energy Sage to look up your zip code and see if there are any in your area. Zero cost, basically buying into a solar farm (like farm share but for solar).
Might I ask why you can't afford it? Only in trying to help. I've directed many homeowners to join a local credit union and get the home equity line of credit. No closing or annual fees like banks charge. The 30% federal tax credit and utility bill savings almost always total more than the loan payments. I can advise you pro bono.
BTW Be careful not to go for leases or Power Purchase Agreement offers. Those are mostly predatory. Using the tax credit yourself, even over the course of some years- you can carry it forward- is far better.
Thanks for giving us some good news to counteract so much bad news in the world today. We need to see you back at Greenbelt (UK) soon. They have online access capability now to save you coming over!
Can you please check the links for the solar panels to Africa article? It took me to one about a new type of solar panel.
We can MUCH better afford to flood the world with free solar panels AND free food than to continue down the unsustainable path we've been taking.
This is not dreaming. I would volunteer to aid the startup of this effort. I've been developing and selling solar projects since 2007. Now retired I am still active and want to do more. I am not a technical designer but the modeling I do can be useful to the effort, hence important. I know the solar supply chain enough to network. We can also include agrivoltaic solar systems to aid in food growing even in hotter summers. I have associates who can advise and aid in other ways. I can talk money with those who can aid us with larger donations.
I just commented above that I would love to be able to make (small) donations to such an effort. Please let me know if you put something together. IDK, maybe it's too hard to wrangle individual donations but the idea of being able to donate to orgs providing solar around the world is very compelling.
Mark, I would like to have posters or handouts to promote agrovoltaics to farmers. I am not a farmer, but there are many in the rural county where I prefer to live. . . . I wonder if I could get solar panels installed over the pond, which has been low in the summer these last few uears. BWB
Hello Barbara- I could assemble such a handout. Haven't built a full sized poster in a long time but perhaps can also put that together. My first career included publishing a trade catalog and magazine. I'll get some input from an associate who runs a cooperative building agrivoltaic systems.
Hello Barbara. My agrivoltaics associate sent me some info & graphics. I'm meeting with a team that's doing a 2MW agrivoltaics project in Georgia on Friday, should get more info. Some progress on your request.
Bravo, Mark!
Thanks Jeff. We each do what we can.
You ended “And if there are some billionaires out there looking for some good karma—well, take it and run.:” Instead of SOME billionaires, how about a billion with SOME money? I for one would like to contribute all I can to solar for all!
Same!
Love the concept of solar+. Here in CA, we have hundreds of miles of open aquaducts ferrying water north to south. These could be covered with solar panels, greatly reducing evaporation (an idea I can't take credit for!)
Brilliant and knowledge vital to the survival of a living planet earth. You can’t afford not to go solar people!
Perhaps this is a way to pay off our climate debt to the world. We subsidize our own panel manufacturing -creating jobs and bringing price per watt down while cleaning the environment and stabilizing energy- starved nations.
Love this idea, Bill. Could foundations purchase manufacturing capacity at solar plants? What if holders of all those languishing DAFs could be organized to fund? (Money’s already designated for giving, just needs to move.) How about tapping into all the “sister city” relationships that exist, to create some friendly “race to the top” energy for which city could fund the most panels to send abroad? Climate solutions can feel so diffuse to most folks, which is the opposite of motivation. This could be a beautiful counterpoint to that. And it feels damn good to dream into possibility.
I'm reading McKibben's book, Here Comes the Sun, and see that he's mentioned the canal concept and the amount of water that would be prevented from evaporation by being covered with solar panels.
I’m just back from a five week safari vacation across four countries in southern Africa, plus Tanzania in East Africa. I noticed that every safari camp and resort in all these countries used solar PV for their power (some with diesel backup). In one camp I peeked into a shed behind some panels and saw a bank of very large lead-acid batteries for storage. Amazingly, in traditional villages with mud-walled homes with grass roofs, there was often a solar panel sitting incongruously on top of many of these simple homes. Africa is skipping the fossil fuel era and jumping right to renewable energy (just as it skipped the wired telecommunication era and moved directly to wireless technology). I even heard, but did not see, that some tourist safari companies were starting to switch to electric off-road vehicles.
Thank you, Bill. Keep us posted on how to we can donate to solar causes for the global south (and parts of north, too)
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I can’t think of a more efficient use of charitable donations to benefit the lives of people, both directly and indirectly, and improve the climate than contributing to such a global project.
Yes, and the reduce cost of living significantly. My home in Denver has a system on the house plus one on the garage charging two EVs. A solar thermal system provides hot water and heating. Most months our utility bills are $22 for meter fees aka grid connection. We don't know or care what gasoline costs. I recently calculated we're savings average $400/month.
I absolutely love this idea, and for a while, I've been sending my (very) *modest* donation $ to someone who will get solar to those who can't afford it: first in my local area (Pittsburgh) through fundraisers with Solar United Neighbors, then an org in California who was reclaiming used solar for under-resourced folks. But I would *love* to donate to an org that's getting solar panels to folks in Africa, with all their tremendous solar irradiance levels.
Bill, do you know of international orgs that do this work? Or any way (very) small donors like myself can contribute to this modest proposal?
Thank you for keeping us informed.
You give us hope!
Here in Texas I have the perfect roof for solar panels (and an unreliable electric grid), but I can't afford to have solar panels installed. . .
Another option is community solar — you can use Energy Sage to look up your zip code and see if there are any in your area. Zero cost, basically buying into a solar farm (like farm share but for solar).
I will look into this
Might I ask why you can't afford it? Only in trying to help. I've directed many homeowners to join a local credit union and get the home equity line of credit. No closing or annual fees like banks charge. The 30% federal tax credit and utility bill savings almost always total more than the loan payments. I can advise you pro bono.
BTW Be careful not to go for leases or Power Purchase Agreement offers. Those are mostly predatory. Using the tax credit yourself, even over the course of some years- you can carry it forward- is far better.
Thanks for giving us some good news to counteract so much bad news in the world today. We need to see you back at Greenbelt (UK) soon. They have online access capability now to save you coming over!
Can you please check the links for the solar panels to Africa article? It took me to one about a new type of solar panel.